Bareilly burglar ‘suicide’: family alleges criminal act by cops and calls for CBI investigation

Lucknow: A day after a notorious burglar allegedly shot down for fear of being killed in a clash with police, his family fired in protest, alleging a criminal act committed by cops in his death. The family of the deceased requested an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into his death.

The deceased, Ajay Singh (26), had multiple cases of dacoity and looting against him. Thursday evening, he and his two accomplices – Anchal and Abhishek – broke into a closed and empty house, belonging to a lumber merchant, in the Faridpur area. At around 2:30 a.m., police noticed a vehicle outside the locked house. Sensing something suspicious, the cops decided to move in.

The cops found Ajay and his assistants inside the house and asked him to lay down his arms. Police said Ajay responded by opening fire on them. He then jumped into a nearby house and the cops ran after him. Fearing the cops would shoot him, Ajay shot himself to death with his locally made revolver, police said.

Family members of the deceased, however, suspect the police version of the incident is not true. They alleged that the cops had engaged in a criminal act. “Ajay was a strong person and could not have killed himself… Ajay knew that the consequences of his arrest for theft were not serious. So he wouldn’t kill himself for that. We suspect there is foul play behind his death, ”a report by Indian express quoted Vijay, the brother of the deceased.

Police claimed that all the evidence pointed to Ajay having committed suicide. Bareilly (rural) ASP Raj Kumar has dismissed the allegations of foul play and said police are ready to investigate Ajay’s death if his family files a complaint.