UP: Family alleges negligence in search after missing cop's body recovered from Saryu river in Ayodhya

Basti (UP), Feb 9 (PTI) Brother of Sub-Inspector Ajay Gaur has alleged negligence in searching for his brother after he went missing from here on Thursday, with his body recovered from Saryu river in Ayodhya three days later.

Speaking to reporters, he demanded an FIR be registered and action be taken in the matter.

Arun Kumar Gond, an additional district magistrate (ADM) posted in Jhansi, reached Basti upon receiving news of his brother's death.

He questioned the police's functioning and levelled serious allegations, stating that a sub-inspector had died under suspicious circumstances, yet neither the inspector general nor the superintendent of police had visited the scene.

Gond alleged that there was negligence in searching for his brother after he went missing, seeking action in the matter.

Meanwhile, Ranjita, wife of the deceased sub-inspector, alleged that her husband was kidnapped and murdered.

She claimed that her husband went missing from the police station, and the authorities did not conduct any investigation. A missing persons report was filed after she visited the police station in the morning.

Ranjita claimed that when CCTV camera footage was scanned, a police station follower (staff in plain clothes) was seen sitting on the motorcycle with Gaur.

Ranjita also expressed suspicion that her husband was murdered over a past dispute.

She said during Gaur's posting at Dubaulia police station, a young man named Upadhyay died after being released from police custody. The deceased's uncle had then threatened her husband.

Ranjita demanded an FIR be registered and a CBI inquiry be conducted.

Basti Superintendent of Police Yesh Veer Singh said the body of the deceased sub-inspector has been sent for postmortem examination. "We are connecting the dots with the help of CCTV and surveillance. The case will be solved soon based on the postmortem report and technical evidence," he said.

Police said during the search operation, Gaur's abandoned motorcycle was found near Amhat Ghat in Basti, deepening fears of some untoward incident.

SP (City) Ayodhya Chakrapani Tripathi on Sunday said the sub-inspector's body was recovered from the Saryu river in the Vikramjot police outpost area in Ayodhya.

"The body was in a full police uniform, due to which identification was quick," Tripathi said.

According to police, Gaur had been missing since the evening of February 5.

Gaur, posted at the Parasrampur police station, last spoke to Ranjita for only few seconds on the evening of February 5, after which the call was disconnected, his wife said, adding that his phone had been switched off since then.

Police then launched a search after registering a missing persons case based on Ranjita's complaint on Saturday, pressing surveillance teams and the Special Operations Group (SOG) into service. Divers were deployed in the river to search for Gaur, without yielding any positive results. PTI COR NAV ARB ARB