Murshidabad (West Bengal): In a bizarre incident, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in West Bengal arrested one person allegedly for attempting to secure his father's release from a life sentence by forging the signature of the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.
The audacious act came to light as the CID uncovered the elaborate scheme, leading to the arrest of the accused from Baharampur in Murshidabad on Sunday. The incident revolved around the bail application of Lalu Sheikh, a prisoner who had been sentenced to life by a lower court. The accused, Labu Sheikh, who happened to be Lalu's son, masterminded a plan to fabricate a High Court order granting bail to his father. Labu Sheikh conspired with a yet-to-be-identified lawyer to create fraudulent documents.
CID's investigation unravelled the intricate web of deceit and fraud, eventually leading to the arrest of Labu Sheikh in Baharampur on Saturday evening. It is important to note that Lalu Sheikh still stands convicted in a murder case, and the CID is actively seeking the lawyer responsible for forging the documents.
The gravity of the situation becomes evident when one realises that a forged High Court document, purportedly a bail order for Lalu Sheikh, was presented in the Kandi court, and the lower court, trusting its authenticity, granted bail to the life-sentenced prisoner. Confirming the incident, public prosecutor Subhro Kanti Mishra said, "Upon careful examination, it became abundantly clear that the bail instruction document was a complete forgery. The matter was promptly reported to the Calcutta High Court, which responded by ordering the CID to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident”.
The CID acted swiftly, arresting Labu Sheikh and bringing him before the Kandi Sub-Divisional Court on a Sunday afternoon. During the court proceedings, the judge ruled that Labu Sheikh should be held in CID custody for ten days, a decision that diverged from the CID's request for a 14-day custody period.
The ongoing investigation has focused on identifying any potential accomplices or individuals who may have aided Labu Sheikh in perpetrating this audacious fraud, which enabled the release of a murder-convicted prisoner. The case has ignited widespread public interest and speculation about the extent of the conspiracy behind the forgery.
Although the CID has remained tight-lipped about the details of their investigation, Shimul Sarkar, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of CID for the Nadia and Murshidabad range, confirmed that Labu Sheikh's arrest took place after intensive interrogation in Baharampur. The case has exposed a disturbing instance in which a life convict resorted to forging the Chief Justice's signature to secure his father's release from imprisonment, a deception that has left the legal system and the CID grappling to fathom the depth of this criminal act.
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