‘Gangsters drinking in police lock-up’: Video not from Mandoli jail, say officials

The Indian Express has learnt that an inquiry was initiated into whether the video was shot in the Lodhi Road office, and the report has been submitted to the police headquarters.

Special CP (Special Cell) Neeraj Thakur, DCP (Special Cell) Pramod Kushwah, and Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal did not respond to a query on whether the video was shot in the Special Cell office.

Biswal had said on Wednesday: “The video is not substantiated and liquor is not served in police lock-up.”

The Indian Express has also learnt that senior officers were alerted to the video on August 12, after a man who visited the brothers inside the lock-up uploaded it on an Instagram account under Neeraj Bawana’s name. Bawana is currently in Tihar jail.

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Sources told The Indian Express three-four men came to meet the brothers and one of the visitors recorded the video. “He shared the video with his associates and posted it on social media. On August 12, the same video was posted with a caption — ‘New reel jai baba ki bali bhai kala bhai… #neerajbawana group’. Special Cell personnel then found out about the video and informed their seniors,” said a police source.

The 24-second video purportedly shows four men sitting inside the police lock-up with Rahul and Naveen and consuming liquor, chips and other food items. The men are seen sitting on a mattress, and also seen talking on the phone and smoking. Two persons can purportedly be seen sitting outside the lock-up.

Rahul and Naveen, who were in Mandoli jail, were re-arrested on August 5 by the Special Cell in connection with a separate case, and were taken on police remand.

An FIR under charges of criminal conspiracy had been lodged by the New Delhi Range of Special Cell after they intercepted phone calls wherein Rahul and Naveen were allegedly hatching a conspiracy to eliminate a rival currently lodged in Rohini jail.

“After collecting technical evidence against them, police started an investigation. The two men were re-arrested from Mandoli jail, where they were lodged, and taken to the Special Cell office. They returned to Mandoli jail on August 10. One of their associates, Sahil alias Chintu, was also re-arrested from Rohini jail,” said a senior police officer.

The officer said both brothers work for Neeraj and would make extortion calls from inside jail. Rahul was arrested in 2014 when he along with his associate Ravi had allegedly killed two brothers following an incident of road rage in Sultanpur Dabas village of Bawana in Outer Delhi. He was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh.