LUCKNOW: A dismissed police constable allegedly burnt an elderly beggar alive in Hathras in a bid to fake his own death and evade arrest in multiple criminal cases, police said.
The accused, identified as Ramveer Singh, was dismissed from service in 2013 due to his criminal record and had been absconding since. Investigators said he hatched a plan to assume a new identity by staging his death.
According to police, Singh targeted a beggar at the Hathras railway platform who appeared to have no known acquaintances. On the night of March 12, when the platform was deserted, he allegedly poured kerosene on the sleeping man and set him on fire. To mislead authorities, Singh left behind his partially burnt Aadhaar card and mobile phone near the body.
However, Singh himself sustained severe burn injuries during the incident. He initially sought treatment discreetly from local medical stores before admitting himself to Hathras District Hospital. As his condition worsened, he was referred to Saifai Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Etawah on March 14.
Meanwhile, police initially presumed the charred body recovered near the platform to be that of Singh.
As the authorities started further proceedings, assuming the unclaimed burnt body found near the Hathras platform was that of constable Ramveer Singh, the GRP police became suspicious when a beggar, who was usually seen on the platform, went missing. According to local residents, the beggar usually never left the platform.
As suspicion grew, police went to Singh’s native village in Mainpuri.
A breakthrough came when GRP Station Officer Suyash Singh received information about a burn victim named Ramveer Singh being treated at the district hospital and later shifted to Saifai. Police then confirmed that the constable was alive, while the deceased was identified as the missing beggar.
Authorities performed the last rites of the victim and kept Singh under surveillance during his treatment. After he was discharged about a month later, he was arrested and brought to Hathras.
During interrogation, Singh reportedly confessed to the crime, stating that he intended to fake his death and escape legal action. Police said that had the plan succeeded, he would have relocated and assumed a new identity.
According to officials, Singh has at least 13 criminal cases registered against him between 2012 and 2013 across several districts, including Firozabad, Moradabad, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Badaun, and Kanpur Dehat. These include a murder case at Civil Lines police station in Badaun in 2012 and an attempted murder case in Matsena police station, Firozabad. He was also booked under the Gangster Act in 2013.
Police added that Singh’s family resides in Mainpuri. He has five daughters who live with their mother; his only son is deceased.