Petty criminal promised Rs 1 lakh to own up desecration
KEEPERS OF the law played this shocking game: Arun Valmiki, a petty criminal making a living on daily wages, was promised Rs one lakh by the police if he owned up to having desecrated Dr Ambedkar’s statue! He was promised Rs one lakh if he “went to jail for the police”!
Sources, on condition of anonymity, told Hindustan Times, the plot to make Valmiki the ‘sacrificial goat’ was Station Officer Deepa Singh’s brainchild as she was under pressure for having failed to nab the culprits involved in desecrating the Ambedkar statue recently.
Sources added that SO Singh had obtained ‘permission’ from some of her seniors and consulted her colleagues before going ahead with her plan. A former station officer at the Kakadeo police station was enlisted to find a ‘sitting duck’ to ensure the success of the plan. Arun Valmiki, a petty criminal, was the hapless guy who wilted after consistent pressure by the cops and agreed to play victim for a hefty sum. Thursday night, Valmiki was escorted to the Kakadeo police station and the tale of his arrest was planted in the media. After a brief session with the media, Valmiki was shifted to Kishori Hotel where he was put up in a room on the third floor. Two constables stayed back with him.
Valmiki was initially promised Rs one lakh but later, the amount was whittled down to Rs 10,000. Sources said after Valmiki was paid an ‘advance’ of Rs 1,000 he enquired about the remaining amount and got jittery when he was told that the Rs one lakh promised to him had been squeezed to peanuts.
{{/usCountry}}Valmiki was initially promised Rs one lakh but later, the amount was whittled down to Rs 10,000. Sources said after Valmiki was paid an ‘advance’ of Rs 1,000 he enquired about the remaining amount and got jittery when he was told that the Rs one lakh promised to him had been squeezed to peanuts.
{{/usCountry}}Worse, he was told that he would be paid the remaining Rs 9,000 after he got out of jail. However, Valmiki was not told whether the police would foot the bill for bailing him out.
The cops’ vague replies upset Valmiki. In the ensuing altercation, the constables slapped and kicked Valmiki. At 5 am this morning, Valmiki requested the cops on guard for breakfast and jumped out of the window when they left to get food.
By this time, the protests had already begun for his release outside the Ambedkar Basti and Valmiki’s escape left the cops running for cover.
The SO and her mentors now, cooked up a story that Valmiki had been released on a personal surety which Valmiki’s family denied vehemently.haidernaqvi@hindustantimes.com