No arrests in case of businessman ‘beaten by police’

SUVA – The Fiji Police Force is continuing its investigation into the case of Lautoka businessman Rajneel Singh who has alleged that he was assaulted by police officers.

Acting Commissioner of Police, Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho said there is no specific timeframe as to when the investigations will be completed and a team of investigators from the Internal Affairs Department in Suva is continuing with their work and “will be in a better position to make further comments at a later stage”.

Last week, Qiliho said police had the identities of those who were allegedly plotting to destabilise government. It is not known if any of them have been arrested.

He has since asked members of the public not to speculate on the outcome of the ongoing investigation and said reports that those alleged to have assaulted Singh have been identified are not true.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisori said an earlier report that stated the suspected police officers had been identified was “misconstrued”.

“The nature of the question posed was directed towards whether police had knowledge of the identities of those who were allegedly plotting to destabilise government.

“This was confirmed as per the acting commissioner’s earlier confirmation that police had knowledge of those behind this plot.

“Due to the sensitive nature of the investigations, we do hope members of the public and the media will allow the officers to conduct their investigations into both cases of alleged assault and the alleged plot against the government,” she said.

Acting Police Commissioner Qiliho said an identity parade will be organised in Ba for Singh in an attempt to single out the suspects.

Qiliho has told Auckland-based Radio Tarana that so far Singh has not been able to identify any policeman who might have been involved.

Singh, an internet shop owner Rajneel Singh is currently admitted at the Lautoka hospital and is recovering from injuries he allegedly suffered after being beaten up and tortured at a house in Ba.

He stated that the alleged beating and torturing was due to the information he gave to police about plans of a plot to destabilise government about two months ago.

Singh claimed to have retrieved some information and documents from one of the computers in his shop which was not logged off after use.

He claimed that after being beaten up and tortured, he was taken to Sigatoka by a group of men he alleged to be police officers and left isolated in the pine forest with injuries.

Singh somehow managed to make his way to the highway and with the aid of a truck driver, he reached Sigatoka Police Station from where he was taken to Sigatoka Hospital and was later transferred to Lautoka Hospital. - PNC sources