UP: Mother, wife and kid of UAPA prisoners arrested for 'fake' RT-PCR reports; lawyer alleges foul play

Three women from Kerala were arrested by Lucknow Police on September 27 for allegedly using fake Covid-19 (RT-PCR) test reports. However, a report by Maktoob Media reveals it as a foul play by the police as per the words of a Kerala based lawyer who accompanied the women.

According to reports, the jailed women were visiting the Lucknow District jail to meet the two Popular Front of India (PFI) members Ansad Badruddin and Firoz Khan who were arrested in February this year for allegedly planning blasts at a programme of Hindu organisations.

As per a report by Maktoob Media, the kins of Badruddin and Firoz arrived at the jail on Sunday with supporting documents, including RT-PCR certificates, mandatory for jail visits due to the pandemic. They were told to wait longer than due to extra work for high-security prisoners.

Meanwhile, Naseer claimed that the police offered to set up the meeting in some other place, but the family declined doubting foul play.

The family was taken outside the jail complex and was intimidated to get into a police vehicle.

The situation got aggravated as Naseer and a local advocate assisting him interrogated the police, but some bystanders, including lawyers, intervened and stopped the police from taking them.

Although the family left the jail complex immediately, police were at the door of their hotel rooms within an hour even as the family confirmed that they had not revealed any details other than their contact number to the jail authorities.

They were then taken to a police station and told that three test certificates were "fake".

"I told them all of us took the test from the same lab. How can only a few of them be genuine and others fake," Naseer asked.

Later at 10 pm that night, police released Firoz Khan's family but detained his mother along with Anshad's family.

On Monday, the women were sent to jail and a court later sent them to judicial custody. According to Naseer, there has been no communication with the jailed women since Monday.

Nazeema, Badruddin's relative Mohsina, and Firoz's relative Funhalima, all aged between 20 and 30 years were arrested on Sunday and have been booked for cheating, forgery among other charges.

PFI on Wednesday issued a press release, strongly condemning the arrest of family members in a "false" case due to political vendetta.

C A Rauf, public relations secretary of PFI Kerala told Maktoob that the organisation is taking stock of the situation and have taken the necessary steps to immediately secure bail in the case.

The bail application is listed on 05 October.