Dismissed cop fakes death, kills beggar to evade arrest

Agra: A dismissed UP Police constable, wanted in multiple criminal cases, allegedly staged his death by burning alive beggar and planting his own identity documents, such as Aadhaar card, mobile phone and other personal belongings, near the body at Hathras railway station, police said.Ramveer Singh (55), dismissed from service in 2013, allegedly set ablaze the beggar after pouring kerosene on him on April 12. Singh too suffered burns. Police initially believed Singh had died, but suspicion arose when a beggar regularly seen at the station went missing.Investigators reached Singh’s native village, and a breakthrough came when they received information about a man admitted to a local hospital with burn injuries.Upon verification, police found that Singh was alive and that the deceased was an unidentified beggar. Police waited for Singh’s recovery before arresting him on Wednesday after his discharge.The former constable has a long criminal history, with 13 serious cases registered against him across several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Firozabad, Moradabad, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Badaun and Hardoi. A case was registered against him on April 14 (Tuesday) at GRP Police Station under sections 103(1) (punishment for murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen the offender) of the BNS. (With inputs from Sumit Sharma in Hathras)