Daijiworld Media Network (SR)
Noida, Jun 12: Fifteen people, including several police men have been arrested for allegedly running an extortion racket, which included a chowki in-charge, Noida Police constables, three drivers of UP 100 PCR vans, two women who asked for lifts, and six other men, the police said on Tuesday.
As per the Indian Express report Superintendent of Police (Gautam Budh Nagar) Vaibhav Krishna said “Police were informed three-four days ago about a possible extortion nexus between Sector 39 police officers and some people. A complainant alleged that a woman would ask for a lift and stop the car where a PCR van would be parked, near Sector 44 police booth. The woman would get out of the car and complain to police personnel that she had been raped. The fake complaint would then be used by the other accused to blackmail the vehicle owner.”
According to police, Sunil Sharma, Sector 44 booth in-charge, was purportedly caught accepting Rs 50,000 bribe when investigators acted on a man’s complaint. Later, Sharma, during police questioning, revealed the identity of others who were involved in the racket. Police said, the two women would spot cars being driven by young men and ask for a lift in the area around Mahamaya Flyover and when the car reaches near a police picket or PCR van, the women would ask for the car to be stopped and then make rape allegations.
“The policemen and the accused had a fixed modus operandi. Once the driver would enter the booth, some accused would appear on behalf of the woman and demand action. An accused, Harishankar, would appear as a lawyer. He did not have any licence. Another accused, Deshraj Awana, referred to himself as the ‘Chairman’, and he would ask the driver to reach a compromise and avoid an FIR,” said Krishna, as reported in Indian Express.
Police claimed there have been around 15 such incidents that took place in the recent past and so far, three people have come forward with complaints.
Though the police are still investigating on the total extortion amount, they claimed that the booth in-charge took a cut of 40% from the extortion money and the gang took a total of Rs 8 lakh from two victims.
After Sharma’s posting at the Sector 44 booth, the extortion racket had been actively functioning with the support of the constables and PCR drivers, said the police.
Police recovered a Verna, a Honda City, and an i10 Grand car along with Rs 50,000 cash from the accused. Police have found that the two accused, Ankit and Satish, have served prison sentences in 2014 and 2017 for committing the same crime back in Faridabad. The police have registered a case under Sections 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, in the FIR filed against the accused at Sector 39 police station.