Bhojpur fake encounter: CBI initiates extradition of former IPS officer

The former IPS officer, Jyoti Belur, who is stated to be in UK, was on her first posting as ASP in Ghaziabad during the incident

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has initiated the process for the extradition of former IPS officer Jyoti Belur, in connection with the Bhojpur fake encounter case.

The former IPS officer, Belur, who is stated to be in UK, was on her first posting as ASP in Ghaziabad during the incident. (Sakib Ali/HT File Photo)

She is presently in the United Kingdom and had already been summoned as a co-accused by a CBI court in Ghaziabad in September 2007 in connection with the case.

In February 2016, the CBI court in Ghaziabad had sentenced the four accused UP police personnel to life imprisonment in connection with the killing of four youngsters in a fake encounter in November 1996 at Bhojpur. The former IPS officer, Belur, was on her first posting as the assistant superintendent of police in Ghaziabad during the incident.

Her case is now being pursued as a separate case in the CBI court.

On April 28, a CBI team approached the CBI court in Ghaziabad for verification of an extradition related dossier. The dossier was verified by the court and the CBI has started the process for her extradition. Belur faces charges under sections of 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 193 (for giving false evidence) of IPC.

“The extradition dossier was attested by the court on April 28. The attestation by the court was required for ensuring the authenticity of the documents. The process for extradition has been initiated and will be done through the appropriate channel,” a CBI source said.

In the Bhojpur fake encounter case, a bullet recovered from the body of Jasbir, one of the four victims, was found to have been fired from the service revolver issued to Belur. Her name was not among the persons chargesheeted in the case but the Ghaziabad court summoned her as a co-accused, under section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), on September 14, 2007.

She had taken recourse to legal remedies through her lawyers against the CBI court’s summons but failed to get relief from Allahabad high court and the Supreme Court. Still, Belur is yet to make a personal appearance before the CBI court in connection with the case.

She is stated to be in London where she teaches in the Department of Security and Crime Science at a university. After the judgement of the Bhojpur fake encounter case, HT had approached Belur over the phone but she had disconnected the call without any comments on her status as an accused.

The CBI court in Ghaziabad has already issued a non-bailable warrant against her. The warrant was reissued on January 16, 2016, but is yet to be exercised.