New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has declared a reward of Rs 2 lakh each for information on fugitive Madhya Pradesh police officers, Sanjit Singh Mavai and Uttam Singh Kushwaha, in connection with the custodial death of Deva Pardhi at the Myana police station in Guna, officials said.
The reward is offered for credible information regarding Mavai, who was serving as town inspector, and Kushwaha, who was an assistant sub inspector at the time of the incident, they said on Wednesday.
Pardhi had been detained on theft charges and died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody.
The CBI has already arrested and filed a chargesheet against Sub Inspector Devraj Singh Parihar, Town Inspector Zubair Khan, and a private individual related to the case.
However, the two accused police officers are currently absconding.
“Non-Bailable Warrants of arrest have been issued against them, and both the absconding accused have also been declared ‘Proclaimed Offenders’,” a CBI spokesperson said.
She noted that the cash reward was announced in an effort to gather leads to locate and apprehend the accused and to “motivate the general public” for providing credible information about the accused.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court chided the CBI for not arresting the absconding police officials in the youth’s custodial death in Madhya Pradesh and warned of contempt action.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan was hearing a contempt plea filed by the mother of the 24-year-old victim, alleging non-compliance with a previous order issued on May 15 that transferred the investigation from the Madhya Pradesh Police to the CBI.
The bench directed the CBI to arrest the two accused policemen within a month while cautioning the agency that it would not be spared if anything happened to the victim’s uncle, who was the sole eyewitness in the case and currently in judicial custody.
The bench emphasised the need for Gangaram’s safety, stating it does not want a repeat of a custodial death.
Pardhi had been detained on theft charges alongside his uncle, Gangaram. While Pardhi’s mother has alleged that her son was tortured and killed by the police, the police have maintained that he died of a heart attack.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
