Family of suspect who died in custody moves to HC

Mumbai: The family of Anuj Thapan, who died while in police custody following his arrest in the case related to the shooting outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s house here, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe into his death to ask.

While police claim that Thapan committed suicide in jail, his mother Rita Devi in ​​her petition filed before the HC on Friday alleged foul play and alleged that he was murdered.

In the plea, which will come up for hearing in due course, Devi requested the HC to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe her son’s death.

The petition alleged that Thapan was physically assaulted and tortured by police in police custody.

The High Court also asked the police to direct the police to hand over CCTV footage of the police station and the lock-up where Thapan was kept.

The petitioner has requested preservation of the Call Data Records (CDR) of police officers investigating the shooting incident from April 24 to May 2.

It also sought clues for a new autopsy into Thapan’s death.

Four persons – Thapan, Sonu Bishnoi, alleged shooters Sagar Pal and Vicky Gupta – had been arrested in connection with the shooting incident, while gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his brother Anmol Bishnoi have been identified as wanted suspects, according to police.

Thapan, accused of supplying firearms and bullets for the shooting incident, was arrested along with Sonu Bishnoi from Punjab on April 26 and remanded in police custody till April 30.

Meanwhile, the police have invoked the provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act (MCOCA) in this case.

On April 29, police produced all four suspects, including Thapan, before a special court, which remanded them in police custody until May 8.

Thapan was found dead in the crime branch toilet at the Commissary complex at Crawford Market on May 1.

On April 14, two persons transported on a motorcycle opened fire outside Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai’s Bandra area.

Gupta and Pal were later arrested in Gujarat.