Although the body has not yet been found, an FIR has been recorded in the case. (Figurative)
Vadodara police have registered an FIR against six police officers for allegedly killing a Telangana man while in custody at the Fatehgunj police station and disposing of his body and destroying evidence. This comes in the context of outrage at the death custody of a father-son duo in the Sathankulam of Tamil Nadu.
The victim, Babu Sheikh Nisar (65), a native of Telangana, reportedly disappeared on December 10, 2019, after police detained him on suspicion of robbery in the Phoolwadi area of the city.
According to his family members, Nisar, who sold sheets and clothing in a truck, had come to Vadodara from Ahmedabad with his son-in-law Ibrahim. The two had left for their respective jobs and were scheduled to meet again in the evening. When Nisar did not appear, Ibrahim informed his son in the Kamareddy district of Telangana and went to Ahmedabad.
The Sayajigunj police launched an investigation into the missing person’s complaint. “After the missing person’s complaint was filed, police teams searched for him in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Rajasthan, where there were cases of burglary against him. But it could not be found, ”said Assistant Police Commissioner, E Vadodara Division police, S G Patil, who is also the plaintiff in the case.
Meanwhile, her son also submitted a request to the Police Commissioner, Vadodara city, alleging foul play in his father’s disappearance. Following this, a confidential investigation was initiated under Deputy Commissioner of Police Division A, which also led to no conclusion. On June 20, the family filed a petition for habeas corpus in the Superior Court. On June 25, the two investigations were merged and turned over to Patil for further investigation.
The first clue to the alleged murder in custody was a roll B entry made by the Fatehgunj police station, which is considered redundant practice with technological advances. A B roll inquiry form is completed when a person is suspected of a crime and their data is recorded without taking it to the police station. The details are sent to the police station in his hometown to investigate any criminal history.
“Now, such entries are made directly on the computer, but they had a journal entry B that was suspicious. During the investigation, we also discovered that a plaintiff who had filed a theft request was called. He had identified the accused and had given a statement, but the FIR was never registered, raising further suspicion. The theft request filed by the plaintiff was also destroyed along with his statements, ”Patil said.
“On December 10, the station newspaper mentioned that at 7:25 pm, Nisar had left the police station after no evidence was found against him. However, the police investigation revealed that there were no witnesses who saw Nisar leave the police station that day, “he added.
CCTV cameras on a particular day also did not work. “If CCTV cameras were purposely rendered non-functional in an investigative matter, but during certain hours on the same day, there are no CCTV images,” Patil said.
Although the body has yet to be found, based on previous evidence revealed during the investigation, an FIR was recorded. “We have not yet found the body, but there is circumstantial evidence and missing documents that suggest the victim was killed and his body was discarded,” Patil said.
Based on his complaint, all the defendants, identified as Police Inspector DB Gohil, Deputy Police Inspector DM Rabari, and Jawans LRD Pankaj Mavjibhai, Yogendra Jilansinh, Rajiv Savjibhai, and Hitesh Shambubhai, have been booked under the Sections 304 of the IPC (Punishment for wrongful death that does not amount to murder), 201 (Causing the disappearance of evidence of the crime), 203 (Giving false information about a crime committed), 204 (Destruction of 1[document or electronic record] to avoid its production as evidence) and 34 (Acts carried out by several people in support of a common intention).
Investigating Officer B A Chaudhary said: “In priority, we will proceed with the arrests of all the accused and find out where the body has been discarded. The individual duties of all defendants who were present at the police station are also under investigation at this time.”
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.