Asifa: CB detains Revenue officer’s son from Meerut
TNN Bureau. Updated: 3/20/2018 10:35:52 AM
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SUMIT SHARMA
JAMMU : Two days after Ram Madhav asked the BJP ministers to support impartially the crime branch in its investigation of the Asifa rape and murder case, it lifted the son of the alleged main accused of the case from Meerut.
Sanji Ram, a retired revenue officer, came on Crime Branch’s radar after a relative of the deceased girl namely Talib Hussain alleged that he had played pivotal role in the rape and murder of 8-year old Asifa.
"Ram is the custodian of the keys of this public facility where the minor was held captive," Hussain had alleged.
Sanji Ram had gone missing soon after his name was tipped off in the incident, official sources said, adding that to catch hold of him, a team of Crime Branch was rushed to the Merut based degree college and lifted Sanji Ram’s son namely Vishal Kumar from there.
Crime Branch has so far arrested six persons involved in the case including two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) namely Deepak Khajuria and Surinder Verma, Hawaldar Tilak Raj, Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, Parvesh Kumar and a ‘minor’ boy.
Hawaldar Tilak Raj, posted at the Hiranagar police station, was arrested after it was prima facie established that he had washed Asifa's clothes that were soaked in blood and mud before sending them for forensic test. Sub-inspector Anand Dutta, who was the investigative officer, has been detained for questioning.
Pertinently, the minor girl namely Asifa (8) was allegedly kidnapped on January 10. On January 17 her body was found in the forests near Rasana, Hiranagar. On January 23, the Mehbooba Mufti government had ordered a probe into the incident, and subsequently handed over the case to the Crime Branch of police.
However, while the investigation of the case was in progress, the people of the area under the banner of Hindu Ekta Manch held protest and demonstration against the investigation by the Crime Branch on the plea that CB’s investigation is being done on the indication of the some Kashmir based ministers. They demanded CBI probe into the matter. However, the same was turned down by the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.