Ramprasad Gupta, a city-based lawyer, whose brother Ramnarain Gupta was allegedly killed in an encounter with police on November 11, has claimed that the victim was picked up by police seven hours prior to his death.
To back this claim, at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, Gupta also produced telegrams and fax that he had sent to police commissioners of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane hours before the encounter took place, expressing fears that Ramnarain may be killed in a fake encounter.
As per the police version, the encounter took place in Versova at 8.15 pm the same day, in which Ramnarain alias Lakhan Bhaiyya, alleged lieutenant of Chota Rajan, was killed.
According to Gupta, the telegram was sent at 4.08 pm to three commissioners, in the name of Aruna Bheda, wife of one Anil Bheda, who too was allegedly picked up by police along with Ramnarain.
"My husband Anil Bheda and his friend were picked up by the crime branch... I suspect that they will kill them in fake encounters..." the telegram read.
Also, according to Advocate Gupta, a fax, stating the same thing, was sent at 4.43 pm.
"At around 1 pm that day, I got a call from Vashi that my brother and Anil Bheda had been taken away forcibly by policemen in a silver Qualis car. Anil Bheda's wife Aruna too got the same message," Advocate Gupta said.
Fearing that his brother might be killed in a fake encounter, he sent telegrams and fax, in the name of Aruna Bheda. Aruna also lodged a complaint at Vashi police station that her husband had been missing since the afternoon, Advocate Gupta claimed.
The fax was received at Thane and Navi Mumbai commissioners' offices, but not at Mumbai Police commissioner's office, Gupta claimed.
According to police, there were at least twenty cases registered against Ramnarain, but Gupta said there were only two cases.
"My brother was a real estate agent and he operated in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Belapur area," Gupta claimed.
He also expressed apprehension that Anil Bheda, who was allegedly picked up by police along with Ramnarain, might be eliminated by police. So far he has not been traced, Advocate Gupta said. He also claimed that he has not yet received the post mortem report of his brother, and if it was found to be flawed, he would file an application in the court for another post-mortem.
According to police, Ramnarain alias Lakhan Bhaiyya was a close aide of Rajan and was also close to his lieutenant D K Rao, who is currently lodged in prison. Police claimed that on the evening of November 11, acting on a tip-off that Bhaiyya will come to meet a contact at Nana-Nani Park in Versova, a police team from the D N Nagar Police Station laid a trap for him and asked him to surrender. He fired back at the police, which retaliated in self- defence, injuring him.
Bhaiyya was rushed to the Cooper Hospital where he was declared dead on admission, police added.