E-Paper
Kheri sisters murder: Relief cheques bounce, 2 Congress leaders booked
In his complaint, the brother said two cheques of ₹2 lakh and ₹1 lakh given to his family by Congress leaders YK Sharma and Virendra Kumar (on behalf of the party) had to be returned uncashed due to a signature mismatch
Three persons, including two Congress leaders, were on Friday booked for cheating and under Section 138 of The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (dishonour of cheque for insufficiency, etc., of funds in account) following a complaint by the brother of two Dalit sisters who were allegedly gang-raped and murdered in September in Lakhimpur Kheri.
In his complaint, the brother said two cheques of ₹2 lakh and ₹1 lakh given to his family by Congress leaders YK Sharma and Virendra Kumar (on behalf of the party) had to be returned uncashed due to a signature mismatch. Another cheque of ₹1 lac issued by one Amit Jani was dishonoured by the bank due to insufficient funds in his account, he alleged.
The amounts were a part of the monetary reliefs given by various political parties to the family following the death of the two sisters.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Arun Kumar Singh confirmed that an FIR was lodged on the brother’s complaint.
Meanwhile, Prahlad Patel, district president of the Congress, acknowledged that the cheques given on behalf of the UP State Congress unit were dishonoured by the bank due to a signature mismatch.
However, Patel denied allegations of cheating and described it as a mere technical issue. “The issue will be sorted and money will be transferred to the family’s account.”
It might be recalled that the bodies of the two sisters were found hanging, at a sugarcane field in Nighasan police station limits. The Kheri police arrested six accused and filed the charge sheet within a fortnight. The case is under trial in a POCSO special court.
