Picture for representational purpose only.

LUCKNOW: Four city policemen who on Wednesday decided to ride a seized SUV to Lakhimpur Kheri , where they were required to record the statement of a murder accused, left the entire department embarrassed after the vehicle’s owner remotely locked it and the news of the trapped cops went viral on social media.

In a quick face-saver, Lucknow police commissioner Sujeet Pandey removed SHO PK Singh of Gomtinagar, where the SUV was seized and brought on Tuesday afternoon, and sent him to police lines after a preliminary inquiry.

Sources said that SHO Singh had not stopped his juniors, investigating last month’s Alaknanda Apartment stabbing case in Gomtinagar extension, from taking the SUV to Lakhimpur Kheri to record the statement of key murder accused Arpan Shukla .

“The SHO has been removed for laxity. It is yet to be established if he granted permission to the policemen to use a seized vehicle. Nevertheless, as in-charge, he is responsible for all seized items brought to the police station,” Pandey said.

The SUV belongs to Akhand Singh , a native of Gonda who now lives in the city’s Gosainganj. Akhand was reportedly caught in a financial dispute on Tuesday between his friend and another youth who had taken a loan from the friend to buy a car. Since the youth had defaulted on loan instalment, Akhand’s friend had taken possession of the car. The disgruntled youth lodged a loot case against Akhand and his friend, and also gave police the registration number of Akhand’s SUV.

A police team intercepted Akhand and seized his SUV in Gomtinagar on Tuesday. He was asked to collect his vehicle on Wednesday. However, when Akhand checked on his GPS-enabled SUV using his smartphone on Wednesday, he found it on the move and remotely turned off the ignition, leaving the cops locked inside, around 143km away in Lakhimpur Kheri. Akhand turned on the ignition following earnest requests from SHO Singh, but on the condition that he would release the central lock only after his SUV returned to Lucknow.



In Video: UP cops take seized SUV for ride; owner locks them inside for three hours