Muzaffarnagar, Jul 9 A court here on Thursday remanded the owner of a paper plate manufacturing factory in 14 days' judicial custody in connection with the alleged murder of a bonded labourer at the unit from where 12 bonded labourers were rescued last month.
Factory owner Ankit Balyan, the main accused in the case, was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate Kavita Aggarwal on a B-warrant after being brought from a jail in Haryana, where he is lodged in an Arms Act case.
The court sent Balyan to judicial custody for 14 days in the murder case, prosecution officer K C Maurya told PTI.
Maurya said Muzaffarnagar police had earlier obtained a B-warrant from the court to secure Balyan's production in the case.
Balyan, who had been absconding after the incident, was arrested by the Haryana Police in Palwal district on July 2 for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm. He has since been lodged in Palwal jail.
The police have also altered the charge against him from Section 105 to Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), invoking the provision related to murder, Maurya said.
On June 23, the police raided the paper plate manufacturing factory in Mandi village under Titawi police station and rescued 12 bonded labourers allegedly being held there.
During the investigation, police alleged that one of the labourers had been murdered at the factory.
Three accused were arrested soon after the raid, while Balyan had fled. He was subsequently arrested in Haryana, the police said.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
