Cop held ‘hostage’, four arrested

BAREILLY : Over a dozen people, suspected to be part of the sand mining mafia, entered the official residence of a police officer in Shahjahanpur district and allegedly held him hostage on Sunday night.

Four people involved in the incident have been arrested and the police are on the lookout for others. According to the officer’s complaint, the attack was planned in retaliation to his action against illegal mining in the area. “Around 30 people entered the boundary of my official residence and hurled abuses. They were armed with sticks and axes, so I locked myself inside the house and called the police headquarters for assistance,” said Arun Kumar, the circle Officer(CO) of Powayan. The incident occurred at around 11.30pm. The trespassers left before police teams arrived on the spot. Based on Kumar’s complaint, the police registered an FIR against one Aslam Khan, head of Karnapur village, along with Tauhid Khan, Hamir Hamza Nabibullah Khan and Alim Navi. Kumar said: “The accused run an illegal sand mining racket. I seized one of their tractors at around 8pm on Sunday and lodged a police complaint. They apparently became angry and tried to attack me,” said Kumar.

Meanwhile, the family members of the arrested people have accused the Powayan circle officer of extortion. “The officercalled my uncle (Aslam Khan) to his residence and demanded Rs 2 Lakh to release the tractor. He filed the complaint after my uncle refused to pay him the money,”said Salman Khan, a cousin of Aslam.