Family accuses cops of beating man to death

Businessman Nirmal Singh’s family says that the policemen thrashed Singh to death after he refused to bribe them, reports HT Correspondent.

A man accused in a bounced cheque case died at his west Delhi home after policemen came to arrest him on Thursday. Businessman Nirmal Singh’s family said that the policemen thrashed Singh to death after he refused to bribe them. Police have rubbished the claim, saying Singh possibly died of a heart attack.

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Initial reports suggested Singh had abrasions on his forehead, chest and left eye but no head injuries, said police. DCP Sharad Aggarwal said, “We haven’t registered any case. We are waiting for the postmortem report.”

Singh lived in a rented flat in Vishnu Garden, Tilak Nagar with his wife and two children. He was a guarantor in a Rs. 28,000 deal made between two parties, the payment for which was made through a cheque that bounced.

A court issued a non bailable warrant against Singh, after which a Sub Inspector (SI) and two policemen reportedly reached Singh’s house around 10.30 pm.

Singh’s wife Kiranwala Devi said the family was sleeping when someone knocked on the door. “They asked for my husband, dragged him from the bed and beat him badly,” said Devi.

She said the complainant of the cheque bounce case also accompanied the policemen. “I offered to pay him Rs 28,000 but the policemen said they would leave only if I gave them Rs. 1 lakh,” said Devi.

She said her children called Police Control Room after Singh fainted due to the beating, following which two policemen fled but the SI was caught. The landlord Inderjeet Singh took Singh to the hospital.

A police source denied the allegation saying some policemen from the Tilak Nagar station reached the house after the first PCR call was made and put in “on record” that a team was already there to arrest Singh. “Singh had locked himself in a bathroom. A second PCR call was made at midnight, that Singh had committed suicide. In fact, the SI accused of killing Singh took him to the hospital,” said the source.