2 arrested in 'fake encounter' in UP's Hathras released; SHO, Inspector suspended

Two youths arrested after an alleged fake encounter in Hathras, in connection with a robbery attempt earlier here, have been released from jail following "shortcomings found during an inquiry", officials said on Saturday.

Two officers, including an SHO, have been suspended for negligence in the case, police said, and a magisterial inquiry is being conducted by Sadar SDM Rajbahadur Singh and Circle Officer (City) Yogendra Krishna Narayan.

Earlier, a robbery attempt was reported at a trader's house in the Mursan police station area on October 9, according to officials. Following the complaint, police claimed to have arrested two men after a "brief encounter", during which one of them was shot in the leg.

The two accused were identified as Omveer alias Sonu and Deva alias Suryadev Singh, both residents of Barakala village in Aligarh's Iglas area, police said.

However, families of both the accused alleged that the encounter was staged and demanded a fair investigation and strict action against those responsible.

The families later met the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police (SP) to press for their demand.

Acting on preliminary findings, SP Chiranjeev Nath Sinha suspended the then SHO, Mamta Singh, and Anti-Theft Team in-charge Inspector Mukesh Kumar, handing over the investigation to the SDM and Circle Officer (CO), officials said.

Police had earlier claimed that two country-made pistols, three cartridges, and a motorcycle were recovered from the arrested individuals.

However, after a detailed probe, investigators found no substantial evidence against the two, police said. The final report in the case was submitted to the court, leading to their release from jail on Friday.

"The youths were released based on the shortcomings found during the inquiry," the CO City said.

The SP confirmed that "no concrete evidence was found against the youths in the cases filed by both the trader and the police", and on that basis, a final report was filed, and the accused were released.