Police U-turn in road rage case: Two arrested let go; two others held after CCTV nails them

Within around six hours of arresting two Muslim men on charges of inflicting deep wounds on the throats of three men during a road rage case on the night of February 7, the Ghaziabad police on Thursday afternoon did an about-turn and arrested two different suspects for the attack, while letting the Muslim men go

Within around six hours of arresting two Muslim men on charges of inflicting deep wounds on the throats of three men during a road rage case on the night of February 7, the Ghaziabad police on Thursday afternoon did an about-turn and arrested two different suspects for the attack, while letting the Muslim men go.

The two men who were arrested on Thursday afternoon were identified as Sanju Kumar and Rajesh Kumar by the police. (HT Photo)

Police said the three men -- Anuj Kumar, 18, his maternal uncle Ravi Kumar, 48, and Anuj’s friend Akash Kumar, 22 -- were walking along a road in Jagatpuri area of Modinagar when a Scorpio SUV hit them and an altercation ensued. Police said the three men were allegedly attacked by the two occupants of the SUV, who also inflicted deep wounds on their throats with a sharp-edged weapon, possibly a razor.

The incident had gained much traction on social media, with several people trying to give the attack a communal tinge. However, the Ghaziabad police on Thursday evening clarified that the Muslim men -- Sameer Ahmad, 26, and Altaf Hasan, 19 -- were not the attackers as alleged and were named by the injured men only to settle old scores.

Police said a separate case will be filed against the injured men for trying to mislead the probe.

The two men who were arrested on Thursday afternoon were identified as Sanju Kumar and Rajesh Kumar by the police.

“Based on the CCTV footage and other new information, we arrested Sanju Kumar and Rajesh Kumar , who were in the Scorpio that night. It was they who inflicted injuries on the three victims in a case of road rage. The previously arrested suspects have been released as they had no role in the crime. We will take legal action against the complainant for misleading the police,” said Ravi Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (rural).

Anuj’s family had lodged an FIR under Indian Penal Code Section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means or weapons) on February 8 and named Ahmad and Hasan as the alleged attackers. Accordingly, they were arrested on Thursday morning.

“The three men suffered severe injuries and are under treatment. We arrested Ahmad and Hasan on the basis of suspicions raised by Anuj who said he had a fight with them during a neighbourhood game about three months ago. Some fake police complaints, purportedly in name of the victim family, also went viral on social media as some vested interests tried to give the attack a communal colour. But we continued our investigation and got substantial leads,” said the DCP.

One of the fake police complaints shared on social media claimed that “beheading threats were issued to the three victims” and alleged that the attackers were Muslims.

Police said the victims allegedly misled investigators with a view to settle scores with them over the fight in the playground. When contacted, Sonam, Anuj’s sister and complainant in the case, declined comment.

Police said after they got hold of the CCTV footage of the attack, they zeroed in on Sanju Kumar and Rajesh Kumar, using the car’s registration number.

The police on Thursday evening said they will now convert the case investigation to IPC section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide).