Two Bihar cops sacked for framing Pune man in alleged rape case

Muzzafarpur zone’s inspector general Nayyar Hasnain Khan has ordered suspension of two policemen posted in Bettiah for “fabricating” a rape case against a man from Pune in Maharashtra, who has been lodged in a jail here since his arrest from his home on March 27 this year.

The man, 23-year-old Zarar Sherkher, is an MBA student.

In a letter to Bettiah’s Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant, dated June 6, 2019, Khan has also sought an explanation from the then Narkatiyaganj SDPO Nisar Ahamd, who had supervised the case. 

“It is surprising that a man who never visited Bihar has been framed in a rape case. In course of investigation, it was found that the girl’s statement has not be recorded under section 164  of IPC. The manner in which the case has been registered and the man taken under judicial custody clearly points to gross negligence on part of the police,” Khan told HT. 

“The suspension of SDPO has also been strongly recommended for his wrongful supervision,” Khan said. 

The IG’s three-page letter reads that “investigating officer of the case (no.162/2018) Binod Kumar Singh and sepoy Krishna Kumar , acted hurriedly and arrested Zarar Sherkher and took his judicial custody for their vested interests”. 

The matter came to light after Nusarat Ejaz Sherkher, mother of the accused,  called on zonal IG and Bettiah superintendent of police, apprising them about the “injustice” done to her son. 

The case dates back to November 2018 when a woman, a resident of Narkartiyaganj sub-division in West Champaran district, filed a case in a Bettiah court, accusing Zarar of exploiting her sexually on the pretext of marriage.

When the court referred the case to the police, IO Binod Kumar Singh and sepoy Krishna Kumar went to Pune and arrested the boy, who was produced in a Bettiah court on March 30. He has been lodged in jail since then.

Later, in his investigation, Bettiah SP Jayant Kant found the case false and fabricated. “Binod Kumar Singh and Krishna Kumar have  been suspended. Other necessary actions are being taken,” he said.