Zepto Delivery Exec Death: Court Slams Police for Planting Evidence, Eyewitness

Court has slammed police in the case. Image used for representation.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Zepto)

A Dwarka court has slammed the police observing that the police planted a witness and pieces of evidence to solve a hit-and-run accident that killed a 19-year-old Zepto delivery partner. The court said that "sadistic pleasure is derived by men in uniform from converting a bailable offence into a non-bailable offence as per their whims, fancies and pleasure," The Indian Express reported.

The delivery partner, Karan Raju, was working with Zypp, a D2C EV brand that offers electric and doorstep delivery and was on his bike when a car hit him from behind in Sector 10, Dwarka.

In a statement released after the accident, Zepto announced Rs 10 lakh compensation and an insurance grant of Rs 8 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

Contrary to the claims made by the police, the court stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the accused was under the influence of alcohol when the alleged crime took place, Mint reported.

Quoting Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Lokesh Kumar Sharma, The Indian Express reported, "The SHO of Dwarka (South) police station was asked to explain under what circumstances did he advise the investigation officer to invoke IPC section 304 (part II). In his reply, he informed that he took charge as the SHO of the police station concerned on May 18, when the FIR was registered at 11.50 pm."

The police invoke section 304 (part II) when they believe that the accused had knowledge that the death may be caused by his act, while section 304 (a) covers death due to negligence.

Additional Sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma gravely noted that if such events occur in the national capital, "only God knows what will be the fate of a citizen’s liberty in other parts of the country."

The ASJ further noted that “Incidents of this nature, atrocities at the hands of police and torture of innocent people in utter violation of the principle of natural justice as well as provisions of IPC and CrPC, have gone steep high since the appointment of the current DCP of Dwarka district," The Indian Express reported.

"This atrocious and illegal attitude and conduct on the part of police officials shows that either the DCP concerned is not competent enough or lacks the capacity of administrative supervision... or he is actively involved in encouraging the police officials to indulge in such kind of illegal activities to the utter prejudice of the fundamental rights of the people of this nation,” the ASG added.

The police nabbed 34-year-old Sudhakar Yadav a few days after Raju's death. A resident of Sector 18 Dwarka, Yadav was driving a Tata Nexon in Dwarka when he slammed into Karan Raju's electric scooter from behind.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and Mint)