Ex-SP’s remand extended by a day

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 20

The designated CBI court today extended the police custody of Shimla former SP DW Negi, who was arrested in the custodial death case on November 16, by a day and fixed the hearing on the plea of the CBI for its further extension for tomorrow. The CBI was demanding the five-day police remand.

Negi, who was a member of the disbanded Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case and was arrested for custodial death of accused Suraj in Kotkhai on the night of July 18, was remanded to police custody till November 20.

The CBI had arrested the head of SIT ZH Zaidi (IG), DSP Manoj Joshi, then SHO, Kotkhai, Rajender Singh, ASI Deep Chand Sharma, Head Constables Surat Singh, Mohan Lal and Rafiq Ali and constable Ranjit Singh on August 29 and Negi was the ninth member of the SIT to be arrested by the CBI.

In another related case, the court did not grant permission to the CBI for voice sample test of members of SIT as the lawyers of the accused didn’t appear in the court. The court fixed the next hearing on November 23.

The High Court had handed over the Kotkhai minor rape and murder case and the custodial death case to CBI on July 19 after a huge public outcry and both cases are being monitored by the High Court which has directed the CBI to file the chargesheet in the custodial death case by November 30. The CBI is now probing money trail link, if any, to reach out to culprits.

A 16-year-old girl, studying in Class X, had gone missing while returning home from the school and her body was found in Haliala forests in Kotkhai on July 6. A case of rape and murder was registered after the post-mortem report confirmed the crime.

Hearing of Yug murder case on Nov 27

The hearing of the sensational Yug murder case, which had rocked the state last year, will be held on November 27. The three accused in the case were produced in the court by the CID (crime branch) today but the hearing was deferred to November 27 as defence lawyers did not appear.

The CID has made 114 persons as witnesses and recorded the statements of 100 persons. A 4-year-old boy Yug was allegedly abducted on June 14, 2014, but the police failed to solve the case, which was transferred to the CID after three months.

The CID made a major breakthrough in August 2016 and recovered the body of Yug from a water tank on August 22, 2016, and after detailed investigations, filed the chargesheet on October 25, 2016. The CID arrested Vikrant, Chander Sharma and Tajinder Pal and investigations revealed that the boy was killed and dumped in the water tank on June 22, 2014.

Hearing on further remand today

• The CBI court fixed the hearing on the plea of the CBI for further extension of remand for tomorrow 
• The investigating agency was demanding the five-day police custody of Shimla former SP DW Negi
• The court did not grant permission to the CBI for voice sample test of SIT members as lawyers of the accused didn’t appear in the court
• The court fixed the next hearing on November 23.