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| Notorious cross-border smuggler Sarfu found hanging in JIC lockup; his end brings relief to some in J&K police | | Magisterial probe ordered; 2 cops placed under suspension | | Bharat Bhushan
JAMMU, Aug 18: Notorious cross-border smuggler Sarfu, who was held for his links with drug mafia in Pakistan and narco-traders in New Delhi and other Indian cities, was today found hanging under mysterious circumstances from the ceiling fan hook of his cell at joint interrogation centre (JIC) at Miran Sahib on the city outskirts early this morning.His arrest from Miran Sahib last month was stated to have given sleepless nights to some in the state police.
SP, JIC, Joginder Singh said Sarfu was found hanging from the ceiling fan hook inside his cell at about 6 am. "He was brought down and evacuated to the GMC hospital but he perhaps died on the way," he added.
The body was then placed in the hospital mortuary where a specially constituted Board of Doctors conducted post-mortem on it. He had used his trousers to hang himself.
The SP said headconstable Kuldeep Singh and sentry Ghulam Qadir had been placed under suspension for their failure to prevent the incident.
A magisterial inquiry had also been ordered into the incident, he informed.
In police records, Sarfu - a resident of the border Khour village in Akhnoor near here - was a habitual border-crosser and had been part of an international gang of narco-smugglers which operated from Pakistan.
He was on July 28 last apprehended by special operations group (SOG) of police along with his son Sanju from Miran Sahib. Over 1 lakh fake Indian currency notes were seized from them at the time of their arrest.
His interrogation had led to the capture of another alleged narco-smuggler Jasvinder Singh alias Shinda, who owned a house and agricultural land close to the International Border at R S Pura. He was at present putting up at Nanak Nagar here.
The source said Sarfu and Shinda had also told their interrogators the names of their handlers in New Delhi and some other Indian states. To lay hands on them, a police team was camping in the union capital for the past few days. It was, however, yet not able to discover their exact location, the source added.
The duo mostly received high-quality heroin sent to them from across the border and then supplied it to drug traders in New Delhi in lieu of heavy commissions.
The drugs were further supplied to Mumbai and other international markets and part of proceeds thus obtained was used to fund militancy in J&K through hawala channels, the source added.
The source said five kilograms of heroin, which was seized by BSF after an encounter with Pak smugglers on the Nikki Tawi river bed close to the International Border at Makwal in R S Pura on March 9 last, was allegedly to be delivered to Sarfu and Shinda. One smuggler was killed in the gunbattle while his accomplices had managed to cross back to Pakistan unhurt.
Sarfu had been booked under trans-border smuggling act. He was also arrested in New Delhi along with his accomplice over five years back and put in Tihar jail.
His son was alleged to have gone into this illegal trade for the past two years, the source added.
Sarfu's wife Preeto, however, belied police theory, alleging that her husband had been murdered in cold blood in police custody.
Hearing about his death, Preeto, their daughter Anjali and relatives gathered outside the GMC hospital mortuary and raised anti-police slogans.
The glass panes of the ambulance (JK02AD/6188) in which the body was brought to the mortuary were smashed by the protesters. The ambulance belongs to Dabgotra charitable trust.
Preeto said their son Sanju was mechanic by profession and worked in a shop. Police picked him up from the shop and not from Miran Sahib as was being claimed by them, she added.
She alleged that when Anjali went to meet his father in police lockup two days or so back, he was unable to stand on his feet.
She demanded a high-level probe into the incident. |
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