A suspected auto thief died in a city hospital after he was detained and tortured in Kavi Nagar police station. Identified as Mohammad Shakeel, a resident of Dasna town, the victim reportedly died around 1 am on Saturday.
There were visible telltale marks all over his body. This is the second custody death reported in Ghaziabad in recent times. The last custody death had taken place in Indirapuram Police station when an accused of a double-murder case was kept in illegal detention and beaten badly. Inspector GN Yadav, the Station Officer (SO) and his subordinate were suspended and a case of murder was registered against them.
In this case too, a criminal case of illegal detention and murder has been registered against eight police personnel and all the accused have been suspended. It has been revealed that the staff of Kavi Nagar Police station reportedly brought Shakeel for questioning as he was said to have been involved in several cases of auto thefts. According to police, he was picked up from his residence after he confessed his role in the crime, the police decided to take him to Ferozabad, to recover those vehicles that he had sold to certain receivers. As the police vehicle reached lal Kuan about five km from the police station he complained of pain in the chest and stomach and started vomiting. He was taken to local Sarvodaya Hospital from where he was referred to Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in Delhi. Shakeel succumbed to his injuries on his way to the GTB Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
The police informed his father around 3 am on Saturday about Shakeel's death. Khaleel — who alleged — the SO of Kavi Nagar Police station, Sudhir Tyagi and seven other police personnel had barged into his house on Thursday night and had forcibly taken Shakeel with them.
He was kept in illegal detention for two days and was subjected to inhuman torture. The police had reportedly taken his mobile phone and Rs 61,000 from Shakeel's possession on Thursday.
In his complaint to the police, Khaleel stated that Sudhir Tyagi tresspassed his house, illegally detained his son, tortured him and robbed him of Rs, 61, 000. "On his complaint, we have registered a criminal case under Sections 302, 147, 148, 342 and 406 of the IPC against eight police personnel including the station officer Sub Inspector Sudhir Tyagi, Mangal Tyagi, Bhupender, Hom Singh, Jitender, Raj Kumar Tyagi, Irfan, all posted in Kavi Nagar Police station," said SSP Ghaziabad Nitin Tiwari.
All the accused police personnel have been suspended and a departmental inquiry has been ordered by SP Rural Jagdish Sharma. "In addition to this, a magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the District Magistrate, SVS Ranga Rao," added the SSP.