Govt orders probe into UP cop’s role

Inquiry into call recording that mentioned cop as person behind Gopi’s ‘release’

The state government has ordered a high level inquiry into the role of a senior UP police officer in the alleged detention and release of Nabha jail break mastermind, Gopi Ghanshampura alias Gurupreet Singh, from Lucknow.

UP DGP stated that ADG (law & order), Anand Kumar will probe into the alleged mobile call recording done by the Punjab police that mentioned the senior UP police officer as the person behind the ‘detention and release’ of Ghanshampura.

However, the DGP declined to mention any officer’s name until the inquiry is done, saying that the state police would share the findings with media as soon as the probe was completed.

A source said the mobile call recording was between two accomplices of Ghanshampura, who were talking about providing money to a senior police officer for Ghanshampura’s release.

The details mentioned in the conversation were corroborated after the arrest of three alleged accomplices of Ghanshampura – Sandeep Tewari alias Pintu, Amandeep Singh and Harjinder Singh Kahlon – from Lucknow on September 15.

Two more persons, including a liquor contractor of Punjab, Rimple and his accomplice were also arrested by the Punjab police in the same connection.

The source said the trio’s rigorous interrogation revealed that they had come with money to finalise the deal for Ghanshampura’s release in a Gomti Nagar hotel.

“According to the trio, a UP police agency had detained Ghanshampura from Lucknow and a senior police officer demanded ₹1 crore for his safe release. The deal was finalised at ₹45 lakh,” he claimed.

The Punjab police last traced Ghanshampura’s location somewhere in Shahjahanpur, after which he went missing since September 10, added the source.

Controversy was generated over the entire issue two days ago, when some media publications in Punjab published reports of the alleged involvement of a UP STF officer in the deal.