Abdul Malik, the main suspect in the violence in Haldwani, appeared before the Haldwani Sessions Court. Malik was captured by the Nainital police in Delhi, and they petitioned the court for custody, claiming that Malik needed to be questioned for ten days. On Saturday night, the accused was brought before the Haldwani court. The court granted the police’s request and detained Abdul Malik until March 6. After this time, additional proceedings in the case are planned. The main suspect in the violence that occurred on February 8 in Banbhulpura, Haldwani, was taken into custody by Uttarakhand police on Saturday.
State Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar had announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for the Uttarakhand Police team that arrested Abdul Malik from Delhi, spokesperson IG Nilesh Bharne said.
The arrested accused, Abdul Malik, will soon be produced in court, said the police.
Uttarakhand Police Headquarters (PHQ) Spokesperson Nilesh Anand Bharne said, “The Nainital police were in a constant search for the mastermind of the Haldwani violence. The mastermind, Abdul Malik, today has been arrested in Dehli.”
On Wednesday, the police said that a total of 74 people had been arrested in the case.
The authorities had said that the violence had broken out during an anti-encroachment drive in Haldwani.
Amidst the violence, there were reports of stone-pelting incidents, vehicles being set on fire, and a crowd gathering around the nearby police station. The administration had to declare a shoot-at-sight policy in the region in order to control the situation. A recovery notice for Rs 2.44 crore was issued by the Municipal Corporation here to Abdul Malik, a prominent suspect in the violence at Haldwani, requesting that he deposit the money to compensate for damage he caused to government property during the altercation. 250 police officers were hurt and four people died in the violence. The police claim that the Banbhulpura police station was set on fire by the mob. For two days, the entire town was under a curfew.
