{Rape case against Badoli-Mittal} 4th accused identified; extortion call recording retrieved

Police said the fourth accused in the case has been identified as Poonam, who is known to the woman who had accused Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape and filed a complaint at Kasauli police station.

The Panchkula police have identified a fourth accused of blackmailing and extorting money from singer Rocky Mittal and have recovered voice recordings, screenshots of alleged extortion messages, and other digital evidence.

The police also revealed that the accused had come to Panchkula to negotiate a financial settlement with Mittal and had also planned another protest in Kasauli if demands were not met. (HT File)

Police said the fourth accused in the case has been identified as Poonam, who is known to the woman who had accused Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape and filed a complaint at Kasauli police station.

The police also revealed that the accused had come to Panchkula to negotiate a financial settlement with Mittal and had also planned another protest in Kasauli if demands were not met. A trap was laid, and on February 5, the police arrested two accused, Mehak and Amit Bindal, from Panchkula during their meeting with Mittal.

As per Mittal’s statement, on January 21 and 22, he received multiple missed calls from Mehak, and upon returning the call, she revealed that another accused, Amit Bindal, and she had masterminded the extortion plot. She demanded ₹50 lakh to settle the Kasauli case and warned of dire consequences if the amount was not paid.

Police said all accused had been involved in extorting money from Mittal and Badoli. Police said that a voice sample will be sent for testing to establish the role of the accused.

The complainant, Rocky Mittal, filed an extortion case with the Panchkula Police on February 4, following which a case was registered on February 5 against six individuals under sections 308(2) (extortion), 308(5) (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The police sought a seven-day remand but were granted two days. Subsequently, a raid was conducted at their residences in Delhi on Friday for further investigation.

The Panchkula police have arrested two individuals and booked four others, including a woman who had accused Haryana BJP President Mohan Lal Badoli and singer Rocky Mittal of rape, on charges of blackmail and extortion.