PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested two police constables Sher Singh and Hasan Abbas Zaidi posted in Pithoragarh, for their alleged links with members of the Valmiki gang. The arrests follow the ongoing investigation into the case involving gangster Praveen Valmiki, his nephew Manish and others accused of grabbing property in Roorkee through forged documents and intimidation.
According to STF senior superintendent of police Navneet Singh Bhullar, constables Singh and Zaidi allegedly maintained contact with gang members and assisted them in pressuring the complainant’s family to transfer property. He claimed that the investigation found evidence of their communication with Manish and details of their meeting with Praveen Valmiki in jail. Sher Singh allegedly facilitated a meeting between the victim’s side and Praveen Valmiki in Roorkee Court, while Zaidi was accused of threatening the victim’s son at a hospital earlier this year.
The SSP said that the STF had earlier registered a case on August 27 at Gangnahar police station in Haridwar district under sections of the Indian Penal Code and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Praveen Valmiki, Manish, Pankaj Ashtwal and others for property fraud and related offences. Singh said that Manish and Ashtwal were arrested in the first phase of the operation, followed by the arrest of a woman identified as Rekha, who was allegedly involved in preparing fake documents.
With the fresh arrests of the two constables, the SSP stated that its investigation has established the gang’s influence extending to police personnel. Both the accused will be presented in the Roorkee court. The operation will continue to identify and act against all those connected to the gang, he added.
