How a ₹30K loan to a cop led to a man facing 55 fake criminal cases

IRFAN ALI, A PART-TIME LOAN SHARK AND FULL-TIME GARMENTS MERCHANT SPENT 11 MONTHS BEHIND BARS OVER 15 YRS

- Jignasa Sinha

Thirty-four years ago, Irfan Ali struck a deal that would change his life.

Ali worked in the garments business and ran a side hustle as an informal moneylender. In 1990, he loaned ₹30,000 to Delhi Police constable Abdul Qadir and his cousin Munna. The deal was swift and uncomplicated. What sure-fire promise of trust than lending to a policeman, after all?

But that loan, Ali alleges, cost him dearly: Qadir not only refused to repay Ali, but also embroiled him in 55 false criminal cases over the next 15 years.

The unremarkable part-time loan shark and full-time garments merchant from Jamia Nagar was soon labelled a "bad character", a thief, and a terrorist. He even spent 11 months behind bars.

Over the next three decades, police stations, courtrooms and jail cells consumed his life. Eventually, he was acquitted in every single one of those cases.

At the same time, Qadir remained under the radar, received an out-of-turn promotion "for his successful record of arrests" and now works with the Delhi Police's elite anti-terrorism unit.

Now, Ali says he wants justice. Earlier this month, he moved the Delhi high court accusing the police of decades of "torture" and harassment as he sought an apology from the police commissioner and ₹80 lakh in compensation. The court on November 12 asked the police to investigate his allegations and directed the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (PHQ) to file a report within four weeks.