By Sunrita Sen
dpa
New Delhi — A criminal suspect hired a stand-in who surrendered to the police, was arrested and spent three weeks locked up before the trick was discovered, news reports said Friday.
Ehsaan was wanted in a case of cattle-smuggling in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district. He paid Miyajaan 300 rupees (about 4.8 dollars) a day to take his place, the Times of India newspaper reported. Both were identified only by their first names.
Miyajan, a daily wage labourer who earns half the amount a day when he gets work, agreed and surrendered to the police, was presented in court and put into pre-trial detention, police said.
After he had spent three weeks locked up, during one of his court appearances his wife told officials in the district court that they had got the wrong man.
“Ehsaan played a trick. He sent Miyajaan to court in his place with a fake ID in response to a summons,” said senior superintendent of police SK Verma.
“Ehsaan had told Miyajaan that he would get him out on bail soon, but the plans were spoilt by the wife’s disclosure,” Verma added.
The fake criminal was sent back to jail on a new charge of aiding a criminal but the original suspect is still on the run, police said.