GHAZIABAD: Relatives of a 22-year-old man, who was jailed for allegedly harassing a woman, barged into Tronica City police station late on Monday night and freed him after the cops on duty did not allow them to offer the accused fish and liquor.The dozen-odd relatives of Rahul, a resident of Khyala in Delhi, also thrashed a constable with rods and sticks, broke furniture, ransacked the police station and fled before reinforcements could arrive.Till Wednesday evening, seven persons had been arrested for the ruckus. Rahul, whom his relatives had freed, is untraceable. Devi Pal, the constable hit with rods and sticks, suffered injuries to the head and upper part of the body. He said he had picked up a wireless set to call for additional force but the attackers broke it before pouncing on him.Police said Rahul had come to Ghaziabad on Monday evening to meet a friend near Signature City. He was picked up by a police patrol van after a woman accused him of harassing her and brought to Tronica City police station before midnight.Rahul had also threatened relatives of the woman with dire consequences when they opposed his lewd comments. The mob that barged into the police station on Monday night included Rahul’s brother Suraj and father Ranveer.“They had brought along fish and liquor for Rahul and insisted on giving it to him inside the police station. When I resisted, they flew into a rage and began vandalising office property. I tried to reach out for the wireless set, but they snatched it from my hand and smashed it to the ground. Then they thrashed me with rods and sticks.“A woman constable, who too was on duty that night, managed to escape and made a call for reinforcements. However, the mob had escaped before the cops could arrive,” Devi Pal said. Devi Pal was given a few stitches at the hospital and was said to be stable after the treatment.Rahul’s relatives included a few women too. On Tuesday, an FIR had been registered against six persons, including Rahul, Suraj and Ranveer, along with five to six unidentified persons. A case has been registered under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (assault), 332 (hurting public servant to deter him from doing his duty) and 353 (assault to prevent public servant from discharging duty) of the IPC. Police sources said relatives of the woman who had accused Rahul of harassment had also agreed to withdraw the complaint. “Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused,” Ghaziabad SSP Upendra Kumar Agarwal said.

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