UP cops give clean chit to man posing with toy grenade. It turned out to be real
Bijnor Police gave a clean chit to a man seen posing with a plastic grenade and AK-47 in a viral video, which later turned out to be real.
A major lapse by the Bijnor police has come under scrutiny after fresh revelations linked to an alleged ISI module exposed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The development centres around Aqib, who is now suspected to have acted as a conduit between arrested operative Saqib and a Pakistan-based ISI handler. Investigators say Aqib, currently based in Dubai, played a key role in facilitating contact between Saqib and the handler.
What has raised serious questions is a video from November last year, in which Aqib was seen holding what appeared to be a hand grenade and an AK-47 rifle. Despite the video going viral at the time, the Bijnor police had given him a clean chit.
Police had then concluded that the weapons seen in the video were plastic toys and closed the matter. During a video call, Aqib had reportedly told the police that both the AK-47 and the grenade were made of plastic.
However, the ATS probe has now brought Aqib back into focus. Saqib, alias 'Devil', was arrested from Lucknow on April 2 along with three others for allegedly attempting to blow up a railway signal box under instructions from a Pakistan-based ISI handler. During interrogation, Saqib and his associates revealed that they had established contact with the handler through Aqib.
Following the ATS findings, action has been initiated against local police officials who had earlier dismissed the case. The then Nangalsoti station house officer, Inspector Sachin Singh Malik, has been suspended, while a departmental inquiry has been ordered against Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh.
The Bijnor Superintendent of Police has directed departmental proceedings against the officers involved after reviewing the ATS report, which flagged the earlier handling of the viral video.
Further inquiry into the matter is underway.
A major lapse by the Bijnor police has come under scrutiny after fresh revelations linked to an alleged ISI module exposed by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).
The development centres around Aqib, who is now suspected to have acted as a conduit between arrested operative Saqib and a Pakistan-based ISI handler. Investigators say Aqib, currently based in Dubai, played a key role in facilitating contact between Saqib and the handler.
What has raised serious questions is a video from November last year, in which Aqib was seen holding what appeared to be a hand grenade and an AK-47 rifle. Despite the video going viral at the time, the Bijnor police had given him a clean chit.
Police had then concluded that the weapons seen in the video were plastic toys and closed the matter. During a video call, Aqib had reportedly told the police that both the AK-47 and the grenade were made of plastic.
However, the ATS probe has now brought Aqib back into focus. Saqib, alias 'Devil', was arrested from Lucknow on April 2 along with three others for allegedly attempting to blow up a railway signal box under instructions from a Pakistan-based ISI handler. During interrogation, Saqib and his associates revealed that they had established contact with the handler through Aqib.
Following the ATS findings, action has been initiated against local police officials who had earlier dismissed the case. The then Nangalsoti station house officer, Inspector Sachin Singh Malik, has been suspended, while a departmental inquiry has been ordered against Circle Officer Nitesh Pratap Singh.
The Bijnor Superintendent of Police has directed departmental proceedings against the officers involved after reviewing the ATS report, which flagged the earlier handling of the viral video.
Further inquiry into the matter is underway.
