Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 3: An Army man, arrested on charges of running a fake currency racket, today died mysteriously in Police Station Ram Munshi Bagh, Srinagar.
Muneer Ahmad Manhas, son of Nazir Ahmad Manhas of Kamalkote Uri, a soldier of Territorial Army 161 battalion was arrested by a police party of Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station from Baramulla.
Muneer was brought to Srinagar’s Ram Munshi Bagh Police Station yesterday where, as per the witnesses who were present in the Police Station at that time, he was severely beaten up for running a fake currency racket. “This morning, the solider was found dead in the lockup”, sources said.
A police spokesman, however, said that Muneer, the prime accused in the fake currency racket was found hanging inside the Police Station Ram Munshi Bagh. “He had used a pair of socks to hang himself by tying them with one another,” the spokesman added.
The spokesman said that Tehsildar Srinagar has started inquest proceedings to inquire death of the Army jawan. He said that the Principal Medical College has constituted a team of doctors for conducting post-mortem in presence of Magistrate.
The Ram Munshi Bagh Police was investigating a fake currency racket under FIR No. 29/2014 under Section 489 ABC, 420 RPC. They picked several persons including Tariq Ahmad, brother-in-law of Muneer Ahmad. “Muneer was last evening brought in front of Tariq with visible marks of beating”, sources said.
Family members have refuted police claim of suicide and alleged that Muneer was killed in custody. They said that Muneer had no history of depression and was mentally and financially sound. They alleged that he died due to police torture.
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