Cops involved in Andhra burning case surrender

HYDERABAD, April 13: Three constables who were allegedly involved in the sensational burning of a hotel cook in the city recently surrendere...

HYDERABAD, April 13: Three constables who were allegedly involved in the sensational burning of a hotel cook in the city recently surrendered this evening. The constables 8212; Akthar, Gouse and Ismail 8212; who gave up before City Police Commissioner R P Singh, were later handed over to the CID which is investigating the case. According to Singh, the constables denied their involvement in the burning of the cook.

The commissioner refused to divulge any more information relating to the surrender stating that the CID would be handling the case.

A case of murder has been registered against the three constables, who were attached to the central crime station of the city police, besides being dismissed from service.

In what was a most gruesome incident, Mohd Farid Khan 32 was allegedly set ablaze by the constables in the small hours of Friday after he was interrogated about the whereabouts of his brother, Rashid Khan, a dossier criminal.After battling for life for several hours, Farid Khan succumbed to injuriesat a private hospital on Saturday night. The incident led to tension in the old city and a mob raided a police station and damaged the furniture, besides indulging in stone pelting.Giving a new twist to the incident, Khwaja Begum, wife of Rashid Khan, alleged yesterday that the three constables had kept her under house arrest for three days and that a police informer Moin had raped her. The commissioner clarified that the constables would be tried only for murder.While surrendering to the city police commissioner, the three constables told him that while they were waiting at Shamsheergunj for the arrival of dossier criminal Rashid Khan, one of the constables, Ghouse spotted Farid Khan in flames and tried to rescue him.They rushed Farid to Syed Ali Chabutra police station and two constables went to inform the sub-inspector.Ghouse, who was with Farid in the auto also went to the telephone booth, but meanwhile the auto driver drove Farid to his residence. The constables could not spot him later.Anticipatingtrouble, the trio fled the spot and remained elusive till date.The commissioner told newsmen that there was enough proof of the involvement of the constables but only a CID enquiry would bring to light the actual truth.Meanwhile, the 16th city metropolitan magistrate remanded to judicial custody the MIM MLA Asaduddin Owaisi and MIM leader Sajjad up to April 27. The two along with 18 others were produced in the court after being arrested on charges of damaging government as well as public property in Shamsheergunj area in the wake of disturbances sparked off by the alleged burning of Farid Khan.All the 20 activists have been taken to the Musheerabad central jail.