A fact-finding team has alleged that police in Nizamabad, Telangana, staged the October 20 killing of 24-year-old Sheikh Riyaz as a fake encounter to conceal a custodial death and an extortion racket involving local officers and counterfeit currency gangs.
The 10-member team of advocates and activists, including Khalida Parveen, Sarah Mathews, Majid Shuttari, Advocate Sameer Ali, and others, released its report last week after visiting the city. The group demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what it called “egregious violations of fundamental human rights.”
According to the report, Riyaz, a resident of Mohammadiya Colony and a recovery agent for non-banking finance companies, was accused of stabbing a police constable, E. Pramod Kumar, on October 17 while being taken to a police station. After Pramod’s death, police launched a large manhunt, describing Riyaz as a fugitive. Officers said he was eventually caught with the help of a man identified as Asif, whom Riyaz allegedly attacked during his capture.
Police said Riyaz was then taken to a hospital for treatment, where he allegedly snatched a weapon from an officer and opened fire, prompting police to shoot him dead.
However, the fact-finding team said testimonies from residents suggest that Riyaz was already in police custody when he died and that his mother, wife, and two young children were detained and sexually tortured over two days in an effort to extract his whereabouts.
“They treated this innocent family like a “terrorist family,” inflicting acts too heinous to describe in full detail but which included putting chili powder in the eyes of everyone, including the minor children, stretching the legs of the women (his mother and wife), pouring chili powder into their private parts, and sexually abusing them,” reads the report that claims the women and children were held in illegal police custody from 10 PM on Friday, 17 October, until 1 AM on Sunday, 19 October.
After they were allowed to return home early that Sunday morning, two women police officers arrived at their house by 10 AM and kept them under house arrest until 5 PM.
“The official police narrative has deliberately portrayed the deceased Riyaz as a “hard-core villain” while completely omitting any mention of his legitimate profession as a recovery agent for finance companies. This suppression of key facts seems aimed at vilifying him to justify the actions taken against him and his family, while protecting the real perpetrators,” reads the report.
“The so-called encounter was staged to mask custodial torture,” the report said, calling for the preservation of CCTV footage, call records, and forensic evidence. It also claimed that key materials, including a Suzuki Burgman scooter and counterfeit currency allegedly tied to the case, were never recovered.
According to the fact-finding team, the extortion chain that preceded Riyaz’s death began with the discovery of counterfeit currency hidden inside a scooter he had seized as part of his recovery work. The original owner of the scooter was identified as Asif, who allegedly confronted Riyaz and demanded both the vehicle and ₹3 lakh he claimed was inside.
Under pressure, Riyaz sought help from Constable Pramod Kumar, who was off duty at the time but attached to the Central Crime Station. The team alleged that Pramod acted as a mediator between Riyaz and his superiors, who then demanded ₹1 lakh from Riyaz after learning he could not repay the full amount.
Police later tried to use Riyaz to set up a trap for Asif and his associates, but the operation reportedly failed when Asif became suspicious and went into hiding. The report said that after the failed attempt, officers continued to demand money from Riyaz as “protection,” a pattern the team described as extortion.
In what the group called a “bizarre twist,” Asif — identified in the report as a key figure in the alleged counterfeit racket — was later nominated by police for a gallantry award for his role in assisting with Riyaz’s capture.
The group said local police were unfit to investigate the matter, citing conflicts of interest and alleged witness intimidation. It also questioned the rapid compensation of ₹1 crore and a government job to the family of Constable Pramod, calling it “hush money” meant to pre-empt scrutiny.
Among its recommendations, the team urged for registration of FIRs for custodial murder, sexual assault, and extortion and an interim compensation of ₹5 crore and a government job for Riyaz’s wife.
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