Jammu, April 28 (IANS): The J&K Police on Sunday said that its initial probe had ruled out any foul play in the death of a CBI officer, heading high-profile scams, in a road accident in Jammu, but a thorough investigation was underway.

DIG, Jammu-Samba-Kathua range, Dr Sunil Gupta told reporters that preliminary investigation suggests that there was no foul play in the road accident that led to the death of CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police, Prashant Sharma, as CCTV footage and eyewitness statements indicate that the accident was a result of the officer’s motorcycle slipping on a speed-breaker during heavy rain.

It was also revealed by the eyewitnesses that Sharma was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and no helmet was found at the accident scene, he added.

Despite the initial findings, the DIG affirmed that a thorough investigation led by SP, City North, Shivam Sidharth will proceed to ensure transparency and fairness in the case.

The incident occurred near the Super Specialty Hospital on the intervening nights of Friday and Saturday as DSP Sharma’s Royal Enfield bike skidded off the road due to rain, resulting in him suffering severe head injuries.

Passersby promptly transported him to the Government Medical College Jammu, and he was later referred to a hospital in Punjab but succumbed to his injuries en route.

Posted at the CBI Headquarters at Panama Chowk, the DSP was investigating some high-profile cases, including multiple scams that have surfaced in the last four years in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. These include the irregularities in the appointment of sub-inspectors (SI) and junior engineers (JE) in the Union Territory. The SI and JE selection lists were later scrapped.