BJP J&K Panch among 3 held for extortion bid
A deputy village headman belonging to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is among three persons arrested by the police from Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore area on charges of extortion. The police said that a manhunt has been launched for a Sarpanch of the saffron party who is also involved in the offense.
The police in a statement here said that acting on a complaint received from a resident of Panzipora area of Sopore, about 50-km northwest of Srinagar, the trio was arrested and booked under Section 450 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7/25 of the Arms Act.
As per the complaint lodged by one Mudasir Ahmed Sheikh, three unknown persons in the dead of the night barged into his in-laws house in Hamadani Colony of Nadihal area brandishing weapons and then asked for a huge sum of money to be “dropped at” in south Kashmir. They also forcibly took two mobile phones from the family members and threatened them with dire consequences if they reported the incident to the police or informed anyone else about it.
The police said on the basis of the preliminary investigation and technical evidence, BJP Panch Merajuddin Rather, a resident
THE POLICE said on the basis of the preliminary investigation and technical evidence, BJP Panch Merajuddin Rather, a resident of Minipora Krankshoon, Sopore, was called to the concerned police station for questioning.
of Minipora Krankshoon, Sopore, was called to the concerned police station for questioning.
“During the questioning, he confessed the commission of crime with three more persons namely Muhammad Saleem Wani, a BJP Sarpanch and resident of Hardpora Achabal, Anantnag, Bashir Ahmed Lone, a resident of Nadihal and Muhammad Dilawar Khawaja, resident of Dachinpora Ruhama”, the police said.
The police said that while Rather and two other accused have been arrested, Wani is still at large.
The police investigations have revealed that in order to extort money from the business family, Rather had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Lone and Wani and then contacted Khawaja for obtaining “some imitation weapons for committing the crime”. The police said that these “weapons” have also been recovered during investigation and “further efforts are underway to unearth more linkages”.