SUV attack: Cops tighten noose around builder’s son

LUCKNOW The police on Tuesday tightened the noose around Faiz Ali, a builder’s son, whose SUV is suspected to have been used in crushing three friends near Arbindo

LUCKNOW The police on Tuesday tightened the noose around Faiz Ali, a builder’s son, whose SUV is suspected to have been used in crushing three friends near Arbindo Park crossing in Indira Nagar on August 14 night, by raiding his house and other hideouts to search for him.

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Raids were also carried at the hideouts of another suspect Ishuveer Singh, police said.

The involvement of Ali, who went missing after the incident, surfaced after he was spotted in CCTV footages along with other suspects few minutes before the killings.

An SUV, suspected to be owned Ali, had crushed three friends — Pawan Singh, 22, Tushar Singh, 23 and Himanshu Singh, 23 – who were riding a scooty, after chasing them for around 2 km under Indira Nagar police station limits. Pawan and Tushar succumbed to their injuries while Himanshu is still battling for life in a private hospital in Gomti Nagar.

Circle officer (CO) of Ghazipur Deepak Kumar Singh, who is supervising the investigation, said raids were carried out at Ali’s residence at Faridinagar and Ishuveer’s rented room at Hariharnagar locality. He said the houses of some relatives of Ali were also raided in search of him but he was not found anywhere. The SUV, too, has not been traced as yet, he added.

The CO said three people -- Sandeep Kumar Bari, Sachin Chowdhary and Vicky Chowdhary -- were earlier arrested and booked under charges of murder under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 302. He said Sandeep and Sachin were arrested on Sunday while Vicky was arrested on Monday night. “They are in judicial custody,” he added.

The CO said Sandeep, Sachin, Ishuveer and Vicky are also accused in the previous FIR of attack and loot lodged by one of the two deceased Pawan Singh with Indira Nagar police and Ali’s name surfaced later in the investigation. Pawan was attacked after being called at Ishuveer’s place in Hariharnagar locality on August 8 but the FIR was registered on August 12.

Pawan’s family members, however, alleged that all accused would have been arrested if the police had acted in time. They believe the suspects got time to disappear and hide the SUV, allegedly used in the crime, due to the delayed action by the police.

Earlier, Pawan’s father Subedar Singh, who is deputy registrar at Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court, had alleged that his son would have been alive and the August 14 incident would have been averted if the police had acted in the previous complaint of August 12.