Bulandshahr violence: UP Police recovers murdered inspector Subodh Singh's phone from home of prime accused Prashant Natt

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday made a breakthrough in the Bulandshahr violence case, in which police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh had been killed. According to reports, the police have recovered Subodh's mobile phone Prashant Natt’s house by the special investigation team (SIT).

Superintendent of Police (City) Atul Srivastav said the police had launched a search operation after receiving information about the location of the cell phone. However, he did not specify where they had found the phone. "A probe is underway. We are also searching for his pistol," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

“The CUG mobile phone of the inspector was recovered from Natt's house during the search. Some other phones were also found and all the phones have been sent to a forensic lab for finding more details like their call records,” he said.

Natt's house was searched by the SIT after the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court issued a search warrant. Six phones were taken from the house, including Subodh's, News18 reported.

So far over 35 people, including Natt, have been arrested in connection with the case. Natt had confessed to shooting at Subodh, according to police.

On 3 January, one of the main accused in the case, Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj, was sent to 14 days' judicial custody. He was produced before a chief judicial magistrate court in Bulandshahr after his arrest on 2 January from Khurja, around 16 kilometres from Bulandshahr, on charges of instigating a mob, rioting, vandalism and disturbing public order.

On 14 January, the Bulandshahr district administration had invoked the National Security Act against three people arrested in connection with the alleged cow slaughter that had triggered the violence  on 3 December. Cattle carcasses were found strewn in the fields outside the Mahaw village in Siyana, after which a mob went on the rampage, attacking the local Chingrawathi Police Post. Besides Subodh, a civilian, Sumit Kumar, also died in the violence.

Two separate FIRs — one for the violence in which nearly 80 people, including 27 unidentified, were named, and the other for the alleged cow slaughter — were registered at the Siyana Police Station.

With inputs from agencies