The acccused: Sheikh Amjad Ali

Mohammed Amjad has spent four months in jail for a murder he did not commit because officers of Ekbalpore police station did not follow the established procedure of verifying the identity of an arrested person.

The 28-year-old from Mominpore was “mistaken” for Sheikh Amjad Ali, a resident of the area accused of setting his wife ablaze on September 2001, and thrown behind bars.

“Officers of the police station should have called the victim’s family members and residents of the area and conducted an identification parade. Everything was done hurriedly and the innocent man was not given a chance to defend himself,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.

According to him, investigating officer Kanailal Banerjee and the officer-in-charge of the police station, Jayanta Das, were responsible for the goof-up. “The officer-in-charge has been showcaused. He has been asked to submit a detailed report on why the police did not follow the norms.”

Other senior officers suspect that Mohammed Amjad was deliberately picked up to execute the warrant in Amjad Ali’s name. “Their names are different and the addresses do not match. Stringent action should be taken against the officer-in-charge and the investigating officer,” said an officer.

Deputy commissioner (port) Anand Kumar visited the police station on Friday evening to probe the incident. He spoke to Banerjee and Das and went through the case file.

The investigation has also revealed that the police had illegally detained Mohammed Amjad for two days from August 22. “Officially, he was arrested on August 24 and produced in an Alipore court. There was enough time to verify his identity but it was not done,” said an officer of the police station.

Sheikh Amjad Ali, the real accused, is now working illegally in a restaurant in Hong Kong, he added.

Mahroon Nisa, Mohammed Amjad’s mother, said the family was scared to file a criminal case against policemen. “We fear they will implicate him in another case. I just want my son back,” she said.

The wrongful incarceration came to light in court on Wednesday when the in-laws of the accused realised that the man in the dock was not Sheikh Amjad Ali. “We have informed the court that Mohammed Amjad is not the accused. He will be released soon,” Kumar said.