Banda/Mahoba, Dec 6 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh police on Sunday raised the reward on the arrest of its suspended SP Manilal Patidar, wanted for allegedly abetting suicide by a stone trader in Moahba two months ago, to Rs 50,000.

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The cash reward for the arrest of the suspended superintendent of police, fixed at Rs 25,000 earlier on November 29, has been increased to Rs 50,000, said Inspector General of Police K Satyanarayan of the Chitrakoot Dham police range.

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He has been absconding for the last three months, he added.

The IG said the sum of reward was raised on a recommendation by Mahoba's current SP.

Stone trader Indrakant Tripathi, 44, was found injured in his car with gunshot wounds on September 8 after he accused the then Mahoba SP Patidar of corruption.

He had died at a hospital on September 13.

The Kabrai police station's suspended SHO Devendra Shukla was arrested earlier on November 25 from Jhansi and remanded in judicial custody.

Following his arrest, Constable Arun Yadav, wanted in the case, too surrendered in a Lucknow court three days ago.

Apart from these two police personnel, two traders, Suresh Soni and Brahmadutt, too were arrested earlier for their alleged roles in the case.

SHO Shukla's services were terminated last month after the special investigation team (SIT) probing the incident found him guilty of corruption and abetment to suicide.

Earlier, Tripathi's brother had alleged that Patidar had demanded Rs 6 lakh in bribe from the victim and threatened to kill him or frame him in a case if the amount was not paid.

The SIT, however, had concluded that Tripathi committed suicide. Its probe found that the bullet was fired from his licensed pistol from the front and it pierced through his neck and got entangled in the car seat behind, police had said.

Patidar was suspended immediately after the incident and a vigilance probe was ordered into his wealth.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)