To escape dept inquiry, PWD clerk plots own death

Lucknow: A public works department (PWD) clerk plotted his ‘own death’ on paper to save himself from disciplinary action and facilitate job for his wife in the department on compassionate ground. His plan seemed foolproof and the his was to join service in April. However, a tip-off set the police on his trail and he was nabbed on Thursday. His wife is on the run.
Sanjay Singh (50), a resident of Vikasnagar, went missing on September 30 last year.His wife lodged an FIR accusing PWD executive engineer S K Rawat of kidnapping him. On October 20, an unidentified body was recovered in Sarojininagar. Sushma identified it as that of her husband sp police handed over the body to her. Later, by producing Singh’s ‘death certificate’, Sushma applied for a job in his place in PWD on compassionate ground. Her application was accepted and she would’ve started as clerk at Faizabad office.
On Thursday morning, Vikasnagar police was informed by an anonymous caller that Sanjay frequented a paan shop at sector K crossing in Jankipuram. A police team in plain clothes nabbed Sanjay when he went to the shop in the evening.
ASP (trans-Gomti) Durgesh Kumar said Singh revealed that he got a clerk’s job at PWD in 1997 by posing as the adopted son of one Ram Awadh Maurya, a security guard in PWD, after his demise. Maurya was a friend of Singh’s father. In September 2016, he disappeared after an inquiry was instituted against him by engineer Rawat who found anomalies in his appointment papers.
Kumar said Singh admitted to having gone to Nepal after asking his wife to lodge a kidnapping case against Rawat.
Vikasnagar inspector Atul Tewari said, “We are hunting for Sushma and trying to ascertain the identity of the body which was recovered in Sarojininagar and how Sushma claimed it was that of her husband’s.” PWD has announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for Lucknow police for cracking the case.