When’s a sting not a sting?
The police says they have enough evidence to prove that Live India’s sting on a government schoolteacher has been doctored, reports Abhishek Bhalla and Ravi Bajpai.
The police on Thursday said they have enough evidence to prove that Live India’s sting on a government schoolteacher had been “doctored”. The police made the statement soon after the arrest of the girl who posed as a student forced into prostitution by Uma Khurana, the schoolteacher.
Rashmi Singh, 20, shown as a victim in the sting, was part of a conspiracy to frame Khurana, said a senior officer. In the course of investigations, the police interrogated many people, including Rama, a business associate of Virender Arora who was earlier arrested for supplying the girl in the sting. The police said Khurana owed money to Rama and Arora and both wanted to get even with Khurana. Rama, however, backed out when Arora told her of a plan to frame her.
The police said the conversation between Khurana and the reporter in the sting was regarding two different issues. “Khurana was given a business proposition that had no mention of supplying girls for prostitution. And in a different shot, the girl posing as the prostitute is shown accusing Khurana of prostitution and naming two other girls,” said an officer. However, neither the channel nor the police have been able to trace those girls. “Arora was also present when the reporter met Khurana at East Delhi’s Cross River Mall, but he has not been shown in the sting,” the officer added.
The police suspect the authenticity of certain portions of the sting where the reporter is only shown talking on the phone to Khurana. Live India’s CEO Sudhir Choudhury was unavailable for comment. On Wednesday, he told HT that the contention that Rashmi was neither a prostitute nor a schoolgirl does not absolve Khurana of her crime. “In almost all such operations, reporters assume fake identities to carry out the sting effectively. Our job is to give an idea and not provide full evidence,” he said.