Maur SHO, constable held for ‘extorting’ gold from man

Police on Saturday arrested Maur station house officer (SHO), a constable posted as his security guard and one of their friends for allegedly extorting gold weighing 2kg from a man who returned from Dubai.

SHO sub-inspector Khem Chand Prashar, constable Avtar Singh and their friend Anoop Grover were booked under Section 384 (extortion), 365 (abduction), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of Mohammad Rafiq of Nagaur district in Rajasthan.

The complainant and his three friends were coming back from Amritsar airport in a jeep on September 26 after receiving Imran who had returned from Dubai when SHO Prashar came in an Innova and stopped their car near Behman Dewana village.

The SHO said he would like to check their jeep as he suspected something illegal in the vehicle. Grover also came there in an Alto car.

“They took four of us to Maur police station. They took in their possession three items studded with 2 kg gold brought from Dubai by Imran. These items — an iron press, a toy car and an electrical elevator — were later kept in Grover’s car. The cops later released us,” he added

Bathinda SSP Nanak Singh said, “The cops got a tip-off that gold material was being brought from Dubai illegally. They intercepted the jeep and took the four persons to the Maur police station. They kept their gold studded items with them.”

He said the two cops have been suspended and the police will write to the Central Board of Direct Taxes and Customs in this regard. “The gold-studded items are yet to be recovered,” he added.