Uttar Pradesh: Man detained over bank loot dies, cops booked for murder

While Amethi SP Khyati Garg claimed that Shukla had committed suicide by consuming poison, the Station Officer (SO) of Peeparpur Police Station, Ravindar Singh, denied receiving any such information.

According to police, three bike-borne men had looted Rs 26 lakh from the manager and cashier of Bhadar branch of UCO Bank at gunpoint on October 5 while they were returning from a Pratapgarh branch of the bank. According to police, they suspected Shukla’s role in the robbery as the Pratapgarh UCO Bank branch operates from a portion of his house. Shukla was picked up by the police in the early hours of Tuesday.

Denying the allegation that Shukla died in police custody due to torture, SP Garg said, “There was a loot of Rs 26 lakh in Peeparpur police station area of Amethi, and Shukla’s name surfaced during the investigation. In 2008, a car was stolen from Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow in which Shukla and his associate, Zakir Ali alias Guddu, were chargesheeted. Keeping in mind his criminal history and possible involvement in the loot incident, the police team went to his house. He was brought to Peeparpur police station for questioning. His two sons were also brought to the police station.. Shukla complained of uneasiness, claiming that he has consumed poison. Police officials asked his sons to take him to the hospital.

“Shukla was taken to the CHC by his sons while the police accompanied them. There the doctors prima facie found it to be a case of poisoning and referred him to Sultanpur district hospital. Sajan was declared brought dead there. The postmortem was done by a panel of doctors,” the SP said.

“The postmortem report mentioned that there was froth around his mouth. The report has not confirmed the cause of death and the viscera has been preserved for further test. No external injury has been mentioned in the report,” the SP added.

IG (Ayodhya Range) Sanjeev Gupta said a sachet of poison was found in Shukla’s stomach which is being sent for lab test. He said that a murder case against Peeparpur police station officials has been filed in Sultanpur district “in order to keep Amethi police away from the investigation”.

Shukla’s family, however, alleged that he was given poison by the policemen on the way to the police station.