Passersby looked on as 3 men beat 70-year-old retired cop to death in Allahabad

A 70-year-old retired policeman was beaten to death by three men in full public view allegedly over a property dispute in Shivkuti area on Monday, police said.

The murder was caught in a CCTV camera installed nearby.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the murder, the Allahabad high court on Tuesday asked the state government to inform it about the action taken in the case by Wednesday.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nitin Tiwari said seven people, including the three men seen attacking the retired policeman in the CCTV footage, had been arrested.

Superintendent of police (city) Brijesh Srivastava said, based on the complaint filed by the victim’s daughter Sameeda Khan, an FIR had been lodged against 10 people.

According to police, the retired policeman Abdul Samad Khan was going on a bicycle on Monday when three men attacked him with sticks and rods.

The assailants kept beating him until he lay motionless with one arm almost mutilated.

The CCTV footage revealed that while the criminals kept assaulting Khan, people kept passing by and no one came to rescue him.

“The families of the victims and the accused are related to each other and locked in a property dispute. Junaid Kamal, a history-sheeter, his brother Javed, son Shebu and two other members of the family, Jhabbe and Naeem, have been named in the FIR. They are on the run. Teams of crime branch and Shivkuti police are carrying out raids to nab the accused,” the SP said.

Tiwari said seven out of 10 accused named in the FIR had been arrested.

“Junaid’s sons Yusuf and Shebu, and another relative Ibne, who were seen attacking Khan in the CCTV footage, have been arrested. Others who have been arrested include Junaid’s son Razik, wife Sana and daughters Hina and Mehendi,” he said.

According to police, Junaid is a notorious criminal with around 20 cases of serious crimes, including two of attempted murders, against him.

Police said CCTV footage showed Khan was attacked 49 times in 90 seconds and added that several people were seen passing by on foot, cycles and two-wheelers but no one intervened.

In the video footage, a man in red shirt is seen stopping and assaulting Khan with a stick. He is joined by two more men in the attack. After some time, Khan even stops resisting the assailants and takes the blows on his head, legs and hands while leaning against a wall.

In her complaint, Sameeda informed the police that she rushed to the site after getting information about the attack and tried to lift her father but failed.

“Only after about 15 minutes when other family members including my mother Mohnisha, sister Firdaus and brother Abdullah reached the place did we manage to take my father to the hospital,” she said.

Khan was first rushed to Tej Bahadur Sapru (Beli) hospital and then taken to SRN hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Police said Khan’s post- mortem report cited haemorrhage and shock as the cause of death.

Meanwhile, the high court also asked the government as to why no arrests were made even though the CCTV footage of the incident was available.

The bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice CD Singh passed the order taking cognizance of news reports.

Appearing for the state government, additional advocate general Manish Goel said the police were trying to trace all the accused involve in this case.

The court has fixed September 5 as the next date of hearing.

First Published: Sep 04, 2018 20:58 IST