Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police on Monday arrested Police Inspector Tariq Ahmed from Khurda in connection with the death of two brothers, who had self-immolated at their house in Pathana Mahala of Balasore in 2012.
The CB has been investigating the self-immolation case of the two brothers, Sk Sadiq and Sk Sabir, after the then DGP Prakash Mishra directed the state agency to conduct a probe. The family members of the deceased had met Mishra and demanded suspension and arrest of Ahmed, then the Inspector In-Charge (IIC) of Balasore Town Police Station, as he had registered a false case against the siblings, which was the reason behind Sadiq and Sabir immolating themselves.
During a police raid on the house of the siblings to arrest them, Sadiq and Sabir poured kerosene on themselves and lit a matchstick.
The CB arrested Ahmed after it found evidence that the brothers died in 2012 due to the situation created by the police officer.
Two officers, including Ahmed, were transferred from the Balasore Town Police Station within a week of the incident.
The family members of the deceased had said the brothers had a long-standing quarrel with Rahim, who owned a shop in the same locality. They had a fight with Rahim following which the latter lodged a police complaint.
“Based on the complaint filed by Rahim, the police team had come to arrest my husband and brother-in-law. Though they were already on fire, the cops dragged them into the police van without making any attempt to douse the flames,” Arzu Biwi, wife of Sabir had said at the time. Though her husband too had also lodged a complaint against Rahim, no action was taken, she had alleged.
Meanwhile, Sk Sahzad, another brother of the deceased, said, “Sabir had lodged a complaint in 2011 against chit fund company Mini India, of which Rahim was an agent. Sabir had invested Rs 15,000 in Mini India through Rahim, but later he discovered that it was a fraud company and lodged a police complaint.”
“No action was taken against either Mini India or Rahim. On the other hand, the police registered cases against Sabir and Sadiq,” he added.