Three cops among 5 booked for extortion, kidnapping

MISUSE OF POWER Accused hatched a conspiracy and extorted `1 lakh from Jalandhar resident, after threatening him with a false case of drug smuggling

JALANDHAR: Police have booked three cops, including a subinspector, on the charges of extortion, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy for threatening a New Geeta Colony resident with false implication in a case of drug smuggling.

A total of five people have been booked in the case. The accused are alleged to have threatened the victim Mohan Lal, an electrician, with a false case and extorted `1 lakh.

The police action was taken after a preliminary inquiry by SHO Bimal Kant found the three cops and the two others guilty of extortion, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy.

The accused have been identified as sub-inspector Heera Lal, assistant sub-inspector Jaswinder Singh, head constable Pannu (full name yet to be revealed), Kuldeep Kaur, her husband Subash Chander, who is a dismissed home guard of police department and both residents of New Geeta Colony, Kala Sangha road, in Jalandhar. The three cops are deployed at Punjab Armed Police (PAP) campus.

According to the complaint, the victim was called up by Subash, a resident of his locality, to carry out some repair work at his another house in Lamba Pind, as part of the plan to waylay him.

In his complaint, Lal said, “I was on way to Lamba Pind when I was forcibly stopped by the three cops and bundled into a car. The cops demanded ` 1 lakh immediately, failing the delivery of which, they threatened me with implication in a false case of drug smuggling.”

A frightened Lal coughed up the amount that day, but lodged a complaint with police commissioner Yurinder Singh Hayer.

In a tacit admission of guilt, the accused cops and others started negotiating and even threatening Lal for a settlement.

“Raids are on to nab the accused,” the SHO added.

THE ACTION WAS TAKEN AFTER A PRELIMINARY INQUIRY FOUND EVIDENCE TO BACK THE COMPLAINT FROM A RESIDENT OF NEW GEETA COLONY