8 held for extorting money from farmer on rape case threat

Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang that extorted money from a farmer by threatening to implicate him in rape case after making a video showing him in a ‘compromising position’ with a minor girl in Sangrur.

The accused, seven men and a woman, were arrested on Monday and produced in a local court on Tuesday. The court sent them on one-day police remand.

The ‘mastermind’ in the case is Pappu Baba, 30, a physically challenged man who is a “fortune teller”. Victim Gurdeep Singh, 42, of Tungan village was his client and often visited his local residence.

“Baba had borrowed Rs 12 lakh from Gurdeep. He wanted to extort more money from him and planned a honeytrap with the help of a woman, Amandeep Kaur, 26. Kaur brought a minor girl and they shot Gurdeep’s video in compromising position with her,” said deputy superintendent of police (DSP-rural) Sandeep Wadhera.

Police have arrested Pappu Baba, Amandeep Kaur, his live-in partner Mandeep Singh alias Mintu, Avinash Kumar alias Vasu, Bhushan Kumar, Gurpreet Singh and Jagsir Singh, all residents of Sangrur.

The police also arrested Gurdeep for raping the minor girl.

“The girl was facing some family problems and accused Amandeep showed sympathy to her. One day, she brought her to Jagsir’s house near the police lines where she was raped by Gurdeep and the accused made their video,” said the DSP.

The victim girl has recorded her statement before the court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The accused have been booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 76 of the IT Act, 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).