E-Paper
Non-bailable warrant out against sacked Chandigarh SI in ₹1-crore extortion case
Chandigarh Police will also approach court for initiation of proclaimed offender proceedings and attachment of their properties
A local court has issued non-bailable warrants (NBW) against dismissed sub-inspector (SI) Naveen Phogat and three others in connection with the ₹1.01-crore extortion case from August this year.
Posted as additional station house officer (SHO) at the Sector 39 police station before his dismissal, Naveen has been on the run since August 5, when he was booked for kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman and extorting ₹1.01 crore from him in Sector 40 by threatening to kill him. A local court had denied him anticipatory bail in the last week of August.
Apart from Naveen, the NBWs have been issued against three co-accused, including Onkar, alias Lucky, alias Grewal, and Pawan, both residents of Pathankot; and Parveen Shah, brother of slain gangster Sonu Shah. Lucky is a close associate of Pawan and Parveen.
Police are also gearing up to approach court to initiate proclaimed offender (PO) proceedings against these four accused and get their properties attached.
Apart from them, two more accused, Jitender, who runs an immigration consultancy in Aerocity, Mohali, and Sarvesh of Bathinda, who is into the business of currency exchange, also continue to evade arrest.
Three other accused – two constables Shiv Kumar and Varinder, deployed at a beatbox in Sector 40, and Barjinder Singh Gill, alias Ankit – have been arrested. Constable Shiv was deployed as the personal security officer (PSO) of Parveen.
According to police, both the constables accompanied the absconding SI when he extorted ₹1.01 crore from the victim, Sanjay Goyal, who deals in wholesale of split chickpeas (chana dal) in Bathinda. Gill, who deals in shares, had allegedly called the cops to reach Sector 40, where the money was extorted.
“We had approached the court for NBWs against the absconding accused last week, following which the court issued warrants against Naveen, Parveen, Lucky and Pawan. Now, we will further request the court to declare them POs,” said an investigator, adding that Naveen, Parveen, Lucky and Shiv used to often hang out together and meet at Parveen’s office of in Sector 45, Chandigarh.
As per sources familiar with the matter, police are also preparing a list of the absconding accused’s properties. “Once the court declares them POs, we will start the process of attachment of their properties under Section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” said an officer.
Had called victim from Bathinda for currency exchange
On August 4, the accused, with an aim to extort ₹1 crore, had called Bathinda-based businessman Sanjay Goyal to Chandigarh, offering to exchange ₹2,000 currency notes at a profit of 5%.
When the complainant reached Sector 40 with ₹1.01 crore on the insistence of his friend, Sarvesh, the accused extorted the amount by faking a raid.
They threatened to kill him and implicate him in false arms and drugs cases, following which, on August 5, he had lodged a complaint at the Sector 39 police station, where SI Naveen was posted.
At the station, he had run into Naveen, who had returned ₹75 lakh to him in exchange for maintaining silence, before escaping from the station. The ₹75-lakh money was later recovered by police.
All accused are facing a case of extortion, kidnapping, cheating, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy.
