Court questions tardy probe against accused cops

LUCKNOW:Special judge Mukesh Kumar Singh has questioned the city police over the tardy investigation in the sensational Shrawan Sahu murder case that took place in the crowded Saadatganj locality here two years back.

Sahu, an oil trader, was murdered at his shop, next to his house, on February 1, 2017. The incident had exposed the extreme negligence by the city police as Sahu was not provided any security despite getting repetitive threats from dreaded criminal Aqeel Ansari.

Ansari was threatening Sahu for pursuing the murder case of his son Ayush who was allegedly shot dead by Ansari after a brawl outside a beer shop in Thakurganj on October 16, 2013.

During hearing of the case held earlier this week, government advocate Jwala Prasad Sharma informed that the police had filed a chargesheet against Aqeel Ansari. However, the police were yet to investigate the role of the cops involved in the case.

Sources said that Ansari hatched the conspiracy of Sahu’s murder. He had also tried to kill Sahu while being inside the jail. However, that attempt was foiled as UP Special Task Force had arrested the four contract killers hired for the purpose on February 28, 2016.

Thereafter, Ansari got Sahu framed in an alleged fake contract killing case with help of some police personnel after coming out on bail. Three police personnel, including a crime branch sub-inspector, Dhirendra Shukla, and two constables were sacked for connivance with Ansari. However, none of them were arrested.

On January 10, 2017, crime branch sleuths had arrested four youths in Para area claiming that Sahu had given them contract of ₹20 lakh to eliminate Ansari.

On the basis of police claims, Ansari had lodged an FIR against Shrawan for hatching conspiracy of his murder in Thakurganj police station. But, it proved to be a fake case in which sleuths of the crime branch were also involved. The court has fixed October 17 as the next date for hearing the case seeking explanation from senior superintendent of police Kalanidhi Naithani about the undue delay in filing of charesheets against cops involved in the case.