‘Reformed’ convict kills 2 in Bihar, back in same jail
PATNA: Bihar’s Aurangabad district and local divisional jail authorities have l anded i n trouble for releasing a 27-year-old criminal convicted under the Arms Act, accused in four more , and facing charges of extortion and assault, during the ritualistic release of prisoners on Gandhi Jayanti, after he went on to kill two persons and returned to the same prison within a month-anda-half.
Pawan Kumar Singh, resident of Aurangabad’s Nabinagar police station area, soon after his release, found his wife having an illicit relationship with a man identified as Mohammad Shaifq, who was his co-prisoner in Sasaram jail a few months back.
He looked for an opportune moment to eliminate Shafiq.
On November 4, he accosted Shafiq and his cousin, Mohammed Gaddi, moving together in a village. He gunned down Shafiq on the spot, then dragged Gaddi to a nearby pond and drowned him, according to police accounts of the twin murders.
Police initially had no clue about the twin murders. However, after scanning Shafiq’s cell phone, they reached Pawan’s wife and eventually discovered the cause of the murders.
On November 18, Pawan was arrested again and sent back to the same jail from where he was released for exhibiting ‘good character’ and showing signs of ‘reform’. Preliminary investigations by the Bihar jail authorities have revealed that rules were vio- lated by the local district and jail authorities while setting the him free. As per the rules, ideally, elderly convicts who have served a substantial period of their jail term, have exhibited good conduct during their tenure behind the bars and do not have other cases pending in any court, are awarded clemency and released during Gandhi Jayanthi every year.
This year, the Bihar government released in all 34 prisoners serving life imprisonment or had completed 20 years in jail. The Bihar government is now trying to find out how Pawan, who is only 27, was convicted in an Arms Act case and awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment, besides having other cases pending in the courts, was granted clemency and released.