Vikram Singh Rana (right) and Sandeep Thakur in Delhi after they were arrested. (PTI)

New Delhi, Feb. 29: The man who posed as a policeman to help the suspected killer of Phoolan Devi escape from Tihar jail has been arrested.

Delhi police have identified the man as Sandeep Thakur, who had introduced himself in Tihar as constable Arvind Kumar of the Delhi Armed Police’s third battalion while getting Sher Singh Rana out on the pretext of producing him in a Hardwar court.

Sher Singh’s brother, Vikram Singh, too, has been arrested on the charge of helping in the escape, special cell additional commissioner Karnail Singh said.

The police, however, are yet to find Sher Singh.

Delhi police commissioner K.K. Paul had moved the probe from the crime branch to a special cell team led by assistant commissioner Shibesh Singh, who was helped by inspector Rama Lamba.

Investigations revealed Sher Singh had conspired with Vikram and Sandeep to get himself out of jail as he feared conviction in the murder case.

Karnail said after his team found a Roorkee resident was involved, discreet inquires confirmed the identity of Sandeep, who had shifted to his village in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, after the escape.

Sandeep was arrested there yesterday. He said during interrogation that he was Vikram’s neighbour in Roorkee. Both men had been meeting Sher Sigh during his court appearances in Roshanabad, Hardwar.

According to police, Sandeep was lured with Rs 6 lakh and a Maruti car. Working to a plan, Sandeep met Sher Singh in Tihar under the assumed names of Pradeep Kumar, a lawyer, and Ravi.

During one such meeting, Sher Singh informed Sandeep about his Roshanabad court appearance scheduled for February 17.

Vikram had allegedly paid him Rs 5,000 to buy a police uniform — which Sandeep got tailored in Roorkee — and handcuffs, which be bought in Aligarh.

According to Karnail, Sandeep visited Tihar on February 16 in the guise of Pradeep Kumar to finalise the details. Later, he returned to Ghaziabad for an overnight stay.

The next day, Sandeep, in the guise of Arvind Kumar, boarded a bus to the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in north Delhi and, from there, took a three-wheeler to Tihar.

He reached jail no. 1 and got Sher Singh out after handcuffing him and collecting Rs 40 as diet charges for the undertrial.

Karnail told PTI that the “impersonator” had shown no court-production document or identity card at Tihar, raising questions over the conduct of the jail officials then present, if any.

Sandeep and Sher Singh then took a three-wheeler to ISBT, from where they went to Ghaziabad, police said. The suspected killer was also handed Rs 10,000 that his brother had given to Sandeep. The duo parted ways in Ghaziabad.

According to the police, Sandeep had also collected Rs 1 lakh from Vikram Singh and passed it on to Sher Singh in a town in western Uttar Pradesh.