E-Paper
Chandigarh: HC grants bail to dismissed SI in ₹1-cr extortion case
Posted as additional station house officer (SHO) at the Sector 39 police station in Chandigarh before his dismissal, Naveen Phogat was booked for kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman and extorting ₹1.01 crore from him in Sector 40 by threatening to kill him
The Punjab and Haryana high court has granted bail to dismissed sub-inspector Naveen Phogat, who has been in custody since November 2023 in connection with a ₹1-crore extortion case.
The bail was granted by justice Manjari Nehru Kaul, who noted that the trial had not progressed significantly, with no prosecution witnesses examined thus far.
Posted as additional station house officer (SHO) at the Sector 39 police station before his dismissal, Phogat was booked for kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman and extorting ₹1.01 crore from him in Sector 40 by threatening to kill him. He was on the run since August 2023 and had surrendered before the court in November 2023.
He was booked on August 6, 2023, under Sections 365, 386, 420, 506 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The charges of kidnapping (Section 364-A) and extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt (Section 389) were added later.
The FIR alleged that Phogat, along with others, extorted ₹1.01 crore from the complainant by threatening him.
As per the victim, Sanjay Goyal, who deals in wholesale of split chickpeas (chana dal) in Bathinda, the accused called him to Chandigarh on August 4, offering to exchange ₹2,000 currency notes at a profit of 5%.
When he brought ₹1.01 crore to Chandigarh on the insistence of his friend, Sarvesh, who runs a money exchange business in Bathinda, the accused extorted the amount by faking a raid in Sector 40 and later abandoned him and another person at a deserted location in Sector 39.
The SI, along with other accused, allegedly threatened to kill him and implicate him in false arms and drugs cases, following which, on August 5, 2023, he had lodged a complaint at the Sector 39 police station, where the SI was posted.
Phogat’s defense argued that he was a victim of a conspiracy after uncovering a significant scam related to illegal money exchange. His refusal to halt the investigation allegedly led to his framing in this case. His counsel further argued that the two co-accused had already been granted bail and that Phogat had returned ₹75 lakh to the complainant through a business partner.
Despite opposition from the prosecution, the court observed that the trial’s progress was minimal and Phogat had been in custody for nearly 10 months. Considering the unlikely conclusion of the trial in the near future, the court extended regular bail to Phogat.
Justice Kaul emphasised that the decision should not be construed as an opinion on the case’s merits. Phogat is expected to furnish bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court or duty magistrate concerned.
