Hathras ‘conspiracy’: CFI leader brought to Mathura from Kerala, sent to custody

The UP Police’s Special Task Force (STF), which is investigating the case, came across the alleged role of Rauf Sherif, who is the CFI’s national general secretary, during its inquiry. On December 12, Rauf Sherif was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in Thiruvananthapuram in a money laundering case while he was trying to board a flight.

“On coming to know, Rauf Sherif is lodged in a jail in Ernakulam, we moved the court and obtained his production warrant. The warrant was served in the jail. We have now taken his custody and brought him to Mathura. He was produced in a local court in Mathura, which sent him to judicial custody,” said Additional Superintendent of Police, STF, Raj Kumar Mishra.

The senior officer announced that the police would soon seek Rauf Sherif’s police custody remand (PCR).

The STF’s move to bring Rauf to Uttar Pradesh came four days after the Enforcement Direction (ED) filed a prosecution complaint — equivalent to a chargesheet — in Lucknow against him and the other four, accusing them of receiving funds from organisations to protest against the Hathras woman’s murder.

The UP government faced flak after the Hathras administration and police carried out a hasty cremation of the woman in the absence of her family in the dead of the night.