Nine ATS members of MP police suspended after custodial death of suspect

Himanshu Kumar was among six suspects detained in a terror-funding and fraud investigation by the ATS of Madhya Pradesh police

Published on: Jan 10, 2025, 22:11:42 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Bhopal: Nine personnel from the Madhya Pradesh anti-terrorism squad (ATS) were suspended on Thursday following the death of a 23-year-old man from Bihar in their custody at a Gurugram hotel, police said on Friday.

The suspension order was issued late Thursday night after Sohna police registered a case (Pic for representation)

The suspension order was issued late Thursday night after Sohna police registered a case against the ATS team based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s uncle.

A police officer said that Himanshu Kumar was among six suspects detained on Tuesday early morning for alleged involvement in “cross-border money transfers and cyber crime”.

“The ATS recovered 14 laptops, a tablet, 41 mobile phones, and 85 debit cards from the six suspects, which was evidence of their involvement in a terror-funding case. Investigation into potential terror links is ongoing,” the officer said.

A nine-member ATS team had gone to Gurugram to investigate the case based on inputs from the intelligence and cyber cells. “However, they did not inform the local police before detaining the six suspects. During the interrogation at the hotel, Himanshu reportedly jumped from the third floor of the hotel and died on Wednesday,” said Yogesh Deshmukh, additional director general of police (ADG), intelligence.

Himanshu’s uncle, Chandan Kumar, alleged foul play and lodged a complaint.

“Himanshu had come to Delhi to prepare for competitive exams for the army. He recently moved to Gurugram and was detained without any case or warrant, purely on suspicion. The MP ATS held Himanshu and others in a hotel and then threw him from the third floor, leading to his death,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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