Hyderabad: Man blames cops, ends his life

Hyderabad: A 30-year-old trader committed suicide allegedly after he was ‘harassed’ by the police over a theft near Charminar. Khaja Hussainullah was grilled by cops regarding a stolen bike he had bought from another person.

His family alleged that the cops took a bribe of Rs 65,000 in two instalments from Khaja, but they continued to harass him and he hanged himself at home. Meanwhile, police said Khaja is an accused in a bike theft case and was questioned as part of the investigation.

Khaja’s family said one of his acquaintances named Hameed, who is now in Dubai, had given a Hero Passion Plus bike to him before he left India. The police questioned Khaja, who then told them about Hameed. Police contacted Hameed, but he denied it.

“The police continued to question him. He tried to get the case closed by agreeing to pay the cops. A middleman struck a deal between Khaja and the investigating SI. He stood in line at various ATMs and paid the SI Rs 65,000. But, even after that the police continued to harass him,” said a member of his family.

Khaja’s relatives said that he had never stolen anything as he is running a shop and has enough money. Meanwhile, sources said that after the death of Khaja, when his brother Akram Ulla Khan gave a petition against the Charminar SI, he was forced to change it.

In an interview with a local TV channel, his brother had explicitly alleged extortion by cops. Senior police officials denied all allegations and said that they had merely questioned Khaja in connection with a theft case.