Himachal IGP, 7 other cops arrested

New Delhi: Inspector General of Himachal Pradesh Police Zahur Haidar Zaidi and seven other policemen were arrested by the CBI on Tuesday in connection with the custodial death of a Nepalese labourer, who was a suspect in the rape-and-murder of a minor school girl in Kotkhai area of Shimla, agency officials said here.

During the probe of the July 4 rape-and-murder case, the state police had taken custody of six suspects who were lodged at the local police station.

Suraj Singh, a 29-year-old labourer from Nepal, was allegedly killed by a co-accused at the Kotkhai police station last month, triggering a massive public outrage.

The CBI, which was later handed over the probe into the case by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, questioned several people before arresting 1994-batch IPS officer Zaidi, the then IGP (South), Manoj Joshi, the then Deputy Superintendent of Police, and six other police officials, the agency officials said.

The arrested would be produced before a court on Wednesday, they said.

The agency has registered two separate FIRs on the rape- and-murder of the minor girl and the custodial death of the suspect.

"The CBI has constituted a SIT, headed by a Superintendent of Police and an Additional SP and a Deputy SP, and taken over the investigation of both the cases," a CBI spokesperson had said.

The rape-and-murder of the Class X student in Kotkhai area of Shimla district had sparked an outrage. Her body was recovered from a nearby forest two days later.