Shillong, June 24: A dismissed Meghalaya police officer who is accused of raping two girls at Ampati in South West Garo Hills district two years back and has been evading arrest, today resurfaced here.

According to police, Nurul Islam surrendered before a court and had been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. He surrendered this evening in the court of the district and sessions judge here.

The director-general of police (DGP), Meghalaya, Rajiv Mehta, told this correspondent that the state police had objected the bail petition of Islam and appealed to the court not to grant him bail.

"We strongly objected to the bail petition of Islam. The court, after knowing the factual position of the case when the police brought to its notice, rejected his bail petition. The court passed an order remanding Islam in judicial custody for 14 days," Mehta said.

Mehta said the police would also ask the court to grant permission to interrogate Islam in judicial custody.

"Islam has been absconding for many months to evade arrest. Since the case is related to Ampati, the investigating officer from Ampati will also come here to handle this case," he said.

Earlier, the media got confusing information when Islam's legal counsel Krishna Sunar said his client had surrendered before the court and was granted bail.

Sunar told reporters at the Shillong Bar Association here that Islam surrendered before the court of the district and sessions judge here after Meghalaya High Court allowed him to appear before the court in Shillong.

East Khasi Hills district superintendent of police M. Kharkrang said the city police had filed a petition today before the court on behalf of Ampati police not to grant bail to Islam.

"After knowing that Islam would surrender before the court here, we immediately informed Ampati police about this. Since it was impossible for the investigating officer from Ampati to reach here, Ampati police requested us (city police) to file the petition before the court to object Islam's bail plea," Kharkrang said.

Islam's son, Nawaz, narrated a different story to reporters saying that his father did not abscond and had appeared before the court here for about eight to nine times in the last few months.

Nawaz also alleged that the investigating authorities had misbehaved with his mother after his father was made an accused. He said the allegations against his father were baseless.

"The family experienced a bad time. Filthy words were used when they talked to my mother. We have been affected financially as my father is the only bread-earner of the family. My academic career was affected. My college refused to issue a certificate, but I got the certificate only after the court passed an order," Nawaz claimed.

He also denied that his father might have absconded to Bangladesh since Meghalaya police had failed to trace his whereabouts.

"My father did not abscond. How can he go to another country without passport and visa?" Nawaz asked.

When asked about the whereabouts of Islam when he went missing for many months, Nawaz said: "I do not know where my father was all those times, but he did not go out of Meghalaya. We knew that he has been appearing before the court a number of times."

Islam, a sub-inspector of Ampati police station in South West Garo Hills, was arrested on June 1, 2013 by Ampati police. He managed to escape the next day, after he was taken to Tura in West Garo Hills district from Ampati, the constituency of chief minister Mukul Sangma.

In September last year, Meghalaya High Court had allowed Islam to appear before a court here.

Islam allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl inside Ampati police station on March 13, 2013. On March 31 that year, he threatened her 17-year-old sister at gunpoint and allegedly raped her in their house.

Islam was wanted in connection with cases 34(06)13 under Section 376 (2) (1-a) of the IPC and Sections 6 and 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Meghalaya police, who earlier claimed that all-out efforts were on to arrest Islam, had placed under suspension at least five police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police and a sub-inspector, after Islam managed to escape from Tura.

A non-bailable arrest warrant had been issued against Islam and Meghalaya police had also filed a petition in court praying to declare him a proclaimed offender.

According to police records, Islam has two permanent addresses: Mahamayachar village under South Salmara police station in Dhubri district and Gaibanda village under Lakhipur police station in Goalpara district in Assam.