LUCKNOW: Special Operations Group (SOG) in charge, Prashant Gautam, has been arrested in connection with the custodial death of 27-year-old trader Balwant Singh.
Balwant Singh was picked up by the police for interrogation on Monday night after a businessman related to him, Chandra Bhan Singh, reported a robbery of Rs 4.5 lakh from him on December 5, 2022.
Balwant's kin complained that he was tortured by the police when he was under custody. He died on Tuesday. The autopsy report confirmed that he was tortured throughout the night of Monday. When his condition deteriorated he was taken to Kanpur Dehat district hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
The autopsy report revealed over two dozen injury marks on the body.
Six persons including five policemen and a duty doctor of Kanpur Dehat district hospital were booked on Wednesday in connection with Balwant's death.
Balwant's uncle, Angad Singh had lodged a complaint with Rania police following which a case was registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 147 (guilty of rioting) 504
(intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).
Shivli police station in-charge Rajesh Kumar Singh, Rania police station in-charge Shiv Prakash Singh, Maitha outpost in-charge Gyan Prakash Pandey, SOG in-charge Prashant Gautam, a constable deputed with the SWAT Mahesh Gupta and a duty doctor of the district hospital were the six persons booked in connection with the case.
According to Kanpur Dehat SP Suniti, the district police arrested SOG in-charge Prashant Gautam, one of the six accused on Thursday while searches were underway to arrest five others who were on the run.
“Six teams have been formed to arrest them. They are facing murder charges,” the SP said.
Balwant’s uncle Chandra Bhan Singh said had he known that police would kill his nephew he would never have lodged a police complaint about the robbery.
Police and SOG had picked up several people on the basis of suspicion in the case of robbery from businessman Chandrabhan Singh of Lalpur Saraiya village of Shivli on December 6.
Ram Rathore, a resident of Mahipalpur under the jurisdiction of the Shivrajpur police station area of Kanpur city, was also detained by the district police in connection with the case. He was reportedly running a high fever and was admitted to Havaspur Community Health Center Wednesday late evening.