Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 29: Police have failed to nab an under trial murder accused who fled from its custody 14 months ago from premises of Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital when he was brought for medical check-up from Central Jail.
The under trial Nazar Muhammad Dar, resident of Rakhshalina village of Budgam district, was arrested by police in connection with a murder case of a teenager Kaleem Qadri, an undergraduate student, who was a resident of Pampore town of Pulwama district.
Family of the victim said that the under trial was brought to SMHS for a medical check-up from Central Jail Srinagar.
However, he fled from the SMHS Hospital. A case under FIR number 169/2011 under Section 302, 364, 387, 120 RPC was registered at Pampore Police Station against the accused.
“I smell a rat in investigation process as police have failed to nab the accused since 14 months which is a long period. Had the accused been a militant, he would have been arrested next day. But my case doesn’t involve militancy and hence police is showing lack of interest. I fail to understand what makes the authorities incompetent to find a petty murderer,” said Javaid Ahmad Qadri, father of the deceased.
He claimed that the way things have happened over the last fourteen months it seems “someone had hatched a conspiracy with the cops who helped the murderer of his son to escape from the custody”. “What hurts me more is that police have not seriously investigated the matter. How was it possible for him to escape police custody? The whole story is doubtful. None questioned the conduct of the policemen who were with the accused,” Qadri said.
According to police records, Javaid Ahmad Qadri filed a missing report of his son Kaleem Qadri at Police Station Pampore in October 2011. Four hours after the report was lodged, he received a ransom call demanding Rs. 1 crore for the release of his son. The caller identified himself as a militant belonging to Lashkar-e-Toiba warned him against informing police.
The missing youth was lured by Nazar Muhammad Dar to move towards Srinagar where he promised him to sell his iPad against a good amount. On reaching Lasjan Bridge on city outskirts, other two accomplices namely Javaid and Younis of accused also boarded the car and moved towards Nowgam. However, Kaleem Qadri was strangulated to death in the vehicle.
The accused threw body of the deceased into the River Jehlum from Seerbagh in Lasjan area and the car of the deceased was taken to Jawahar Nagar where it was later parked near Foot Bridge. Having parked the vehicle, the accused Nazar Muhammad Dar made a phone call to the father of the deceased and told him that the vehicle is parked near the footbridge. Later, police arrested the accused and he confessed to his crime.
Father of the youth said that soon after escape of accused, police did showed some interest and also received a tip-off regarding him but it lost pace that allowed the accused to get out of sight. “Police initially spotted him in Punjab but then the whole process lost pace and he went to some safer place,” Javaid Qadri said and raised suspicion over the role of lower rung cops.
He said that Director General of Police directed his men to constitute a special team to get the fugitive arrested. “He also directed to investigate the role of doctors who frequently used to send the accused for medical check-up at SMHS Hospital. The role of those police officers who were accompanying the accused was also supposed to be questioned,” said Qadri.
Station House Officer (SHO) Pampore said that the house of accused is under surveillance and they are looking for him. “We regularly call his family members to inquire about the whereabouts of their son. But so far we have not received any clue of the accused from them. But we are vigorously investigating this case,” he said.
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