Yunus case: Pradeep Sharma, others exonerated

Transfer orders of "encounter specialist" Pradeep Sharma and five other police officials, under probe for the alleged custodial death of 2002 Ghatkopar blast accused Khwaja Yunus, were cancelled on Tuesday after the CID submitted a report exonerating them, a senior police official said.

"They were under suspicion last October when they were transferred out of the city. The report of the state CID submitted recently has not found any evidence against them in the case," Director General of Police P S Pasricha told PTI.

Earlier, the Bombay high court, which is hearing a petition on the Yunus case, had instructed the state DGP to file the chargesheet in the case.

Yunus, an engineer suspected to be involved in the Ghatkopar bus blast conspiracy in 2002, which left two dead and scores of others injured, had allegedly died due to police torture in the first week of January 2003.

Sharma, who has killed over 100 alleged gangsters in shootouts, and five other police officials were transferred to Amravati following fears that they might tamper with evidence.