5 cops suspended for custodial death

 HYDERABAD: Five police personnel, including the Station House Officer (SHO) of the LB Nagar police station were on Wednesday suspended for their ‘negligent attitude’ which led to the custodial death of a suspected ATM fraudster on Tuesday.

LB Nagar police inspector N Mahender, two probationary sub-inspectors, Ravi Kumar and Ranjit and two police constables, Srinivas and Sai Baba, were on Wednesday placed under suspension holding them responsible for the death of the suspect, Janardhan (30), in their custody. Confirming the suspension of the policemen, in-charge DCP B V Ramana Kumar, however, ruled out that Janardhan’s case was a lock-up death.

“There is no denying that Janardhan died in our (police) custody but it is not a lock-up death,” he said.

The inspector, Mahender, was found to be negligent in discharging his duties.

“The inspector should have gotten involved in investigations. He, however, gave the responsibility to the two probationary SIs who are inexperienced,” Ramana Kumar said.

Apart from this, Mahender did not keep his higher-ups (the Assistant Commissioner of Police and the DCP posted about the investigations. Janardhan was picked up by the police in the early hours of Tuesday and he was taken from one place to another, in a search operation for the third accused. “Mahender should have brought Janardhan to the police station and recorded his confession. Another team of police should have gone out in search of the other accused,” the DCP said. Janardhan might have felt nervous and collapsed due to chest pain, the official said.

Meanwhile, police are awaiting the post-mortem report of Janardhan to ascertain whether he was beaten up by the police in custody. “Based on the postmortem report, action would be taken against the policemen,” Ramana Kumar said. Preliminary findings showed that there were minor injuries on the victim’s body. “He, however, did not suffer any internal injuries,” hospital sources said.

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