JOIN USIn-custody criminal caught on camera shopping with cops
Salesmen at a renowned shoe-shop in Uttar Pradesh's Agra town, about 350 km from here, were taken aback when they were approached by a man in handcuffs and accompanied by a dozen uniformed policemen asking for several pairs of shoes.
They had difficulty understanding if the handcuffed man was indeed a criminal, as the cops appeared to following him like he was their boss.
The man turned out to be dreaded criminal Manoj Bakkarwala, who was lodged in Delhi's Tihar jail facing over 500 cases, including those of murder, car-jacking, loot and theft. He had been brought to Agra by the Delhi Police for a court hearing on Thursday.
Sources said Bakkarwala, after the hearing, expressed his desire to buy shoes, Agra being famous for its leather-manufacturing industry. He also reportedly told the cops he would get them shoes, too!
The policemen readily obliged, and, according to the show salesmen, Bakkarwala ordered a dozen pairs of shoes, including a pair priced Rs 15,000! The shoes he ordered for the cops were priced Rs 4,000 each.
As the local media got wind of the matter, they reached the spot, filmed, and took photos of Bakkarwala and the policemen inside the shop. Seeing the lensmen, the cops made a hurried exit from the shop and left in their vehicle.
Taking a serious note of the matter, district police authorities have suspended five cops for taking a criminal shopping. The officials have also written to the Delhi Police authorities seeking action against the personnel accompanying Bakkarwala.