The minor has no criminal record and has reportedly no connection with two others arrested with him in a bike theft case. (Representational)
A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered Patna Zonal Inspector General of Police to look into allegations of a “minor” vegetable vendor booked in an ostensibly false theft case after he allegedly refused to give jackfruit to a police officer for free, I-G N H Khan on Friday met the boy, lodged in Patna’s Beur Jail for the last two months, and also his parents. He is likely to submit his report by Monday.
The boy’s parents live in Chitragupt Nagar here.
Sources said the boy, although 14 as per his Aadhaar card, was shown as 19 by Agamkuan police. He has no criminal record and has reportedly no connection with two others arrested with him in a bike theft case.
A senior officer said, “As chargesheet was filed on supervision report of then Patna-City DSP Harimohan Shukla, the I-G would also speak with him (Shukla).”
The boy was picked by the police on March 19. The case came to light recently after the boy’s father approached Patna SSP and it was reported on local TV channel.
I-G Khan said, “We are looking into the grave allegations against policemen. We will probe the matter thoroughly. If policemen are found guilty, they will get exemplary punishment.” Patna DIG Rajesh Kumar and Patna SSP would assist Khan in the probe.
The boy’s father said he sells vegetables in the area bordering Patrakar Nagar and Agamkuan police stations, and claimed that policemen from both stations often asked him for free vegetables. He said: “One day, when my son was at the stall, a policeman from Agamkuan asked for some jackfruit. As it was selling at Rs 80 per kg, my son refused to give for free. He was scolded and threatened with grave consequences.”
The, the father claimed, “On March 19, a police jeep stopped near my house and a police constable and said the police station in-charge wanted to see my son… Later, I learnt that Agamkuan police had slapped a bike theft case on my son, and he was sent to Beur Jail, on March 21.”