Malerkotla jail warden among 4 held for helping undertrial attend wedding

THE COPS ‘ARRANGED’ A MEDICAL CHECKUP AS ALIBI; PROBE OFFICIALS CLAIM DEAL WAS SETTLED AT ₹18,000 FOR THE WARDEN AND ₹5,000 FOR TWO COPS

SANGRUR : Police have arrested the head warden of sub-jail Malerkotla, Kangan Khan, a former SAD sarpanch, Hardev Singh, and two constables — Jagtar Singh and Jaskirat Singh — for helping an undertrial in a drug case attend his sister’s February 2 wedding.

The four, with the help of Vinod Kumar, the jail pharmacist, arranged a medical check-up of the undertrial, Ravneet Garg, at the Malerkotla civil hospital from where he was allowed to go to the wedding. Kumar is absconding.

The Sangrur police will now seek a production warrant for Garg.

Officials claim the deal for making Garg attend the wedding was fixed at Rs 18,000 for the warden, Khan, and Rs 5,000 for the police personnel, who facilitated him in reaching the marriage palace.

“We had received a tip-off that despite being fit, Garg had been referred to the civil hospital. Investigation has shown that after just a formality of a check-up, he changed his clothes at a tent house near the hospital. He then was allowed to attend his sister’s wedding. We have footage of closed-circuit television cameras corroborating this,” Sangrur senior suupeintendent of police Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.

“Former Alipur sarpanch Hardev and Garg had met in the barracks. Hardev had been jailed in a property dispute case, but was bailed out. However, he remained in contact with Garg and the warden and planned the crime,” the SSP added.

The accused have been booked under sections 225-B (obstruction to lawful apprehension, or escape in cases not otherwise provided for) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at the City police station, Malerkotla.

“We will summon and investigate the record of Khan, who has been posted at the jail for a long time,” the SSP added.