E-Paper
ASI among 3 booked for honey trapping, extorting money from Ludhiana realtor
Trio had videotaped the 45-year-old realtor in a compromising position and were blackmailing him with it
Three persons, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) posted at Daba police station, have been arrested for allegedly laying a honeytrap for a 45-year-old realtor and trying to extort Rs 50 lakh from him.
The accused, identified as ASI Dharminder Singh, Manjit Kaur, 30, of City Enclave of Dhandhra road, and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, a cable operator of Dhillon Nagar of Lohara, had videotaped the realtor in a compromising position and were blackmailing him with it.
Police have recovered Rs 7 lakh cash that the accused extorted from the complainant, besides a car and mobile phone used in the crime.
WOMAN HAD COME IN TOUCH WITH HIM FOR BUYING A PLOT
The complainant told the police that he had come in touch with Manjit Kaur, who had introduced herself as Gurpreet Kaur of Jawaddi Kalan, a few months ago. She told him that she had separated from her husband and was interested in buying a 100 square yard plot. Though she did not buy any property, she remained in touch with the complainant over phone and even borrowed money from him, citing financial constraints.
USED SPY CAMERA FITTED IN HANDBAG TO TAPE COMPLAINANT
On June 24, he, along with the woman, went to his friend’s office where she videotaped him in a compromising position through a spy camera fitted in her handbag.
The next day, the realtor received a call from ASI Dharminder Singh, who asked him to meet him near a liquor vend. “When I reached there, the ASI, along with Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, who introduced himself as a scribe, demanded Rs. 50 lakh and told me that if I don’t pay them, they would circulate my video on social networking sites and also lodge a rape case against me,” he said.
The realtor then paid them Rs 7 lakh in cash but later filed a complaint with the Daba police.
Following the recovery of the cash from their possession, police registered a case under Sections 384 (extortion), 388 (extortion by threat of accusation of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life), 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 166A (public servant disobeying law, with intent to cause injury to any person), 506 (criminal intimidation ) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67, 67-A of the Information and Technology Act.
ASI HAD BEEN RECENTLY PROMOTED
The ASI, who has now been suspended, was additionally booked under Sections 13 (2), 13 (8) 67, 67 A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He had been recently promoted from the rank of a head constable and was earlier deputed as the driver of the Daba station house officer. A departmental inquiry has been marked.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, City 2) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said they are probing whether the three accused had indulged in similar acts in the past too.
