‘Fake’ intelligence officer alleges police torture, kills himself

Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das has ordered a CID probe into alleged police harassment that led to the suicide on Thursday of a suspected conman who masqueraded as an ‘assistant central intelligence officer’ (ACIO).

Shiv Saroj Kumar, 27, allegedly hanged himself from a tree after sending emails to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and several other officials accusing the police of treating him and his father, a retired government official, like criminals when they went to lodge his abduction report.

Das directed the removal of one of the accused police officers from his present post and report to the police line. “I want the entire issue probed within 24 hours and action initiated against the guilty police officers,” he said.

Additional director general of police (ADG), CID, Ajay Kumar Singh is leading the probe mainly against two police officers, one posted as officer-in-charge of Chutia police station and the other a DSP.

The purported email, which is being treated as his suicide note, alleges how the police officers misbehaved with him and his 61-year-old father, mentally harassed and tortured them for three days, for bringing his abduction to their notice.

Police claim preliminary investigation revealed that Saroj was a thug who had been cheating his family and when he stood exposed in the presence of his father, he resorted to the extreme step.

In his email, Saroj said he had come to Ranchi on Saturday for re-verification of his passport as his job would require him to travel out of the country. But he claimed he was drugged and abducted by unidentified goons in a car.