State, J&K police blame each other

MUMBAI: Even as the jail officials in the state claim they had informed the Jammu and Kashmir police before granting parole to Sajjad Mogul, the main accused in the Pallavi Purkayastha murder, the J&K cops have denied it.

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Mogul, who is originally from J&K, was sent to life imprisonment for the murder. He was granted parole, a special leave, in February and was to return to jail by the end of May.

The J&K police launched a manhunt for Mogul on Tuesday. “We were not informed when the accused was granted parole. We were informed by the jail authority when the accused jumped parole. We are looking for the accused,” said Imtiyaz Hussain, senior superintendent of police, Baramulla district told HT.

Jail officers of the Nashik central prison claimed they had informed the local police station in Uri, J&K, about his release through registry. “Even before granting parole, we had asked for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the police station concerned in Uri, where Mogul lives. The police gave an NOC and the medical reports of Mogul’s mother were verified by the officer concerned before granting parole,” said a jail official.

The state government has ordered an internal inquiry into the matter. Rajendra Dhamne, deputy inspector general, who has been conducting the inquiry, said, “I have verified the documents submitted by the accused and the paper work done by the concerned officer. I have called for various other documents to look at the case. I will submit a report to the government in a few days.”