The ATS has produced Trivedi and Tiwari before a local court, under Section 41(1) CRPC (police may arrest any person without warrant on suspicion of being involved in a cognizable offence), which has remanded them in judicial custody. (Representational)
A day after the Uttar Pradesh Police said the two men arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with Kanpur shootout on July 3 were not named as wanted accused in the case, a police team from Kanpur reached Mumbai Sunday to interrogate them.
Hours after the Maharashtra ATS briefed the media Saturday about the arrest of Arvind alias Guddan Ramvilas Trivedi and his driver Sushilkumar alias Sonu Suresh Tiwari, two alleged members of Vikas Dubey’s gang, Kanpur Police said the two men were “neither named nor wanted” in the case. Maharashtra ATS, however, said Trivedi had been named on the list of wanted accused issued by the UP Police in the case.
“They [UP Police] may be trying to hide it in order to avoid any attack on them. Besides, they have not named every accused in the FIR. They have just mentioned the names of 11 persons and have said that there were 20-25 others,” said an ATS officer. The officer told The Indian Express that Trivedi had told the ATS they were part of the shootout and had escaped from the spot after the eight policemen were gunned down.
On July 3, UP Police had gone to arrest Dubey, but the gangster along with his henchmen had attacked police that claimed eight lives. Dubey was Friday shot dead by the police after he tried to escape following an accident involving one of the vehicles in the Special Task Force cavalcade bringing him back to UP from Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the Kanpur police team that reached Mumbai Sunday said they were yet to decide on the future course of action. “We have sent the team to Mumbai. We are aware that Trivedi is Vikas Dubey’s accomplice, but we are still verifying whether they were involved in the shootout. So far, they are not wanted in the case but we are conducting an investigation and if their names appear, then we shall arrest them,” a Kanpur police officer, requesting anonymity, said. The officer said they were yet to decide if the two men should be brought back to UP for further investigation.
Sources in the ATS, meanwhile, said Trivedi had given away his phone to a friend in UP and bought a new one to stay in touch with Dubey. Following the attack, Trivedi and his driver had travelled to Madhya Pradesh in a truck. “Dubey’s relative stays in MP, so we believe that they went to him for help initially, but as they were turned away, they came to Pune and eventually landed in Thane,” said an officer. The two were staying at a friend’s place on Kolshet Road in Thane.
“We have detained the two friends who gave them shelter. They are currently working in a transport company and hail from Trivedi’s native place. We will record their statement and let them go,” said an investigator.
The ATS has produced Trivedi and Tiwari before a local court, under Section 41(1) CRPC (police may arrest any person without warrant on suspicion of being involved in a cognizable offence), which has remanded them in judicial custody. They are currently lodged in Taloja jail.