Custodial death: Zahur Zaidi, 7 others arrested

The CBI on Tuesday arrested eight Himachal Pradesh cops, including an inspector general, in connection with its probe into the custodial death of an accused in the Kotkhai rape-cum-murder. “We have arrested IG Zahur H Zaidi, DSP Manoj Joshi and six others,” a CBI officer said.

The CBI on Tuesday arrested eight Himachal Pradesh policemen, including an inspector general, in connection with its probe into the custodial death of an accused in the Kotkhai rape-cum-murder.

“We have arrested IG Zahur H Zaidi, deputy superintendent of police Manoj Joshi and six other policemen in the connection with an ongoing investigation into the custodial death of an accused in the Shimla gangrape case,” a CBI officer said.

The Himachal police had arrested six persons in the gang rape and murder of a minor school girl, whose body was found in isolated woods near Kotkhai tehsil’s Halaila village.

The six accused were identified as Ashish Chauhan (29), Rajinder Singh (32) of Sharaal village, Subash Singh Bisht (42) of Pauri Garhwal, Surat Singh (29) and Lok Jan (19) of Nepal and Deepak (38) of Garhwal.

Surat Singh died in police custody in Kotkhai under mysterious circumstances. The CBI action came after grilling of more than 100 witnesses and suspects.

According to CBI sources, a close relative of a Himachal law officer is a suspect in the case.