Not only is the entire Rajasthan police force in hot pursuit of Additional Director General of Police Ashok Kumar Jain, but bold steps have been taken to bring the fugitive cop to justice. Like the criminals they hound, the police here have put up Jain’s picture on a poster and he now appears on the “most wanted list”.

These posters, which plaster the walls at the entrance of Jaipur railway station, also declare a cash award for those who tip off the police about Jain’s whereabouts. Not so long ago, the person looking out of the poster was the second senior most police officer of Rajasthan.

Jain, along with Additional Superintendent of Police Arshad Ali and four others, have been charged with killing alleged criminal Dara Singh in a fake encounter in 2006. Two of those accused are absconding. On Tuesday, the CBI released their posters at public places here after the accused were declared fugitives.

The CBI has also warned the public against providing shelter to the fugitives and threatened legal action against those harbour the absconders. Apart from facing  murder charges, Jain also faces the threat of his property being confiscated if he continues to evade arrest.

What has worsened Jain’s situation is that the Rajasthan High Court dismissed his application in which he pleaded anticipatory bail on the ground of ill health.

Among those who have been declared “wanted” are Sub-Inspector Rajesh Chaudhary, Zulfikar Ali, Arvind Bharadwaj and a liquor contractor Vijay Kumar.

The CBI special court, which has been holding trial in the case, declared Jain and another accused Rajasthan Police Service officer Arshad Ali as proclaimed offenders (POs) last month, following failure of the agency to produce them before it, in compliance of the arrest warrants issued in May this year.

The trial court also issued standing arrest warrants against them. The two officers have been untraceable since the issuance of the arrest warrants.

Another IPS officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police A Ponnuchami has already been arrested by the CBI and is under judicial custody.

Dara Singh alias Daria, a dreaded criminal of Churu, who was allegedly working as a liquor contractor’s pointsman, was killed in a “fake encounter”, on the outskirts of Jaipur, in October 2006.

Dara Singh’s family subsequently lodged a complaint in court, alleging that he was killed in a fake encounter by the police.

The Supreme Court accepted their request for a CBI probe in the matter. On June 3 this year, the CBI filed a chargesheet before the court against 16 accused persons, including Jain, Ponnuchammi and Ali besides naming former BJP minister Rajendra Singh Rathore as a suspect against whom investigations are still on.