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Punjab AIG Malvinder Singh Sidhu arrested in another extortion, graft case
The fresh case against Sidhu was registered under Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 384 (extortion) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code at the Phase-1 police station on March 20 following a report by the Phase-8 station house officer
Out on bail, suspended assistant inspector general (AIG, human rights), Punjab, Malvinder Singh Sidhuhas been arrested in another extortion case, police said on Thursday.
The fresh case against Sidhu was registered under Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 384 (extortion) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Phase-1 police station on March 20 following a report by the Phase-8 station house officer.
This is the fourth case to be registered against the suspended AIG. He was previously booked twice by Mohali police and once by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
Police have also added Section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption against Sidhu and Sections 7 and 7-A of PC Act against his aide Balbir Singh in the fresh case.
Notably, the AIG landed in further trouble after police recovered a one-hour recording from his mobile phone.
Phase 8 police at the time of Sidhu’s arrest in a previous case on October 25, 2023, had recovered an Apple iPhone and a Sony audio recorder from him.
According to police, Sidhu was heard offering ₹30,000 to Balbir for staging a protest outside Punjab Social Welfare Office for inaction pertaining to a complaint against his son-in-law who was having a marital dispute with his daughter.
A complaint was submitted to the social welfare department against Sidhu’s son-in-law accusing him of making a fake caste certificate. According to sources, in order to press the complaint against his son-in-law, Sidhu allegedly bribed Balbir. After Phase-8 police shared the recording with Phase-1 police, they registered a fresh case against the AIG and the co-accused.
The AIG was produced before a Mohali court on Wednesday and sent to two-day police remand.
Meanwhile, a fresh complaint was registered against the suspended AIG in Patiala on the complaint of Mohali police for using force against the cops who went to arrest him in Patiala.
Notably, the Punjab and Haryana high court bench of justice Anoop Chitkara on April 22, while granting interim bail to the AIG, had directed him to approach the investigator and give his voice samples within three days of release from prison.
The local court on Wednesday thus directed the Mohali police to comply with the high court order and take the AIG to CFSL in Sector 36, Chandigarh, for recording his voice samples to match his voice with the voice in the alleged recording.
In a previous FIR from January 27, 2024, a special investigation team has been formed to probe the case registered by Phase-8 police against the AIG under Sections 384 and 120-B of IPC and Sections 7, 7A and 12 of the PC Act.
The SIT will be headed by Harinder Singh Maan, superintendent of police (Cyber Cell), Mohali; Harsimrat Singh Chhetra, DSP (investigation) and Rupinder Singh, station house officer (SHO), Phase-8 police station.
Blot on khaki
January 27, 2024: Sidhu was booked by Phase-8 police for alleged extortion and graft
October 30, 2023: Sidhu was booked on October 30 by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act on allegations that he, along with other accused, were procuring Schedule Caste/Scheduled Tribe certificates of individuals from different sources, such as their school and workplace, and illegally extracting/asking for money from these individuals by blackmailing them
October 25, 2023: The AIG was booked by the Phase 8 police for allegedly using criminal force against a government servant.
