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30 booked a day after drug peddler forcibly freed from police station
Police claim to have arrested 14 people, including three woman, who were part of the mob to forcibly free drug peddler Akashdeep Singh
A day after a 20-year-old alleged drug peddler was forcibly freed by a mob from Chawinda Devi police post under Majitha sub-division, the rural-district’s police have booked 30 people under various stringent charges, including attempted murder.
Police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested 14 persons, including three women, who were part of the multitude that allegedly stormed into the police post and freed Akashdeep Singh by overpowering cops at the police station. However, Akashdeep continued to evade arrest even after the passage of 24 hours.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Majitha, Manmohan Singh said 30 people, including nine by name, have been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 379 (theft), 379-B (2) (snatching), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapons), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and 25-54-59 of the Arms Act.
The identified accused who are booked by name are Nirvail Singh alias Naila and Nirmal Singh alias Tehla of Wariam Nangal village, and Jagdish Singh, Labha Singh, Vir Pal Kaur, Biro, Billo Lali, Bunty and Monu of Chawinda Devi village.
The DSP, however, didn’t disclose the name of the arrested persons. He said one of the arrested accused was Akashdeep’s brother.
“Some of the arrested accused have already been facing several criminal cases and we are examining their past activities. Our raids are still on to nab Akashdeep,” he said, adding that they can’t rule out the involvement of gangsters in freeing Akashdeep.
Akashdeep was arrested at around 4:00 pm on Monday by a team of the Chawinda Devi police station and 9gm of heroin was recovered from his possession. A case under sections of the NDPS Act was registered against him.
The DSP said, “after Akashdeep’s initial questioning, he was being prepared to be shifted at the Kathunangal police station at around 9:30 pm. In the meantime, more than 30 people barged into the police post and forcibly released the accused, with his handcuffs intact, from custody.”
A purported video of the incident has also gone viral on social media, in which dozens of people, including women, can be seen in physical altercation with some cops. An Instagram post in which Akashdeep is seen with another young man with an opened handcuff chain is also doing the rounds on social media.
The DSP said when Akashdeep was freed from the custody, only four cops were in the police post.
“It is suspected that some of the persons possessed firearms and other weapons while committing the crime. Our cops on duty had also received minor injuries during the melee,” he said, adding that those who had freed the accused from the custody may have been involved in drug peddling business with Akashdeep.
