Rape case against Badoli-Mittal: Third accused held; extortion call recording retrieved

The accused was identified as Meeru, a resident of Delhi; police officials familiar with the matter said Meeru is a close associate of the woman complainant who had earlier filed a case against the singer and Haryana BJP chief Mohan Badoli in Kasauli

The Panchkula police on Saturday arrested the third accused involved in blackmailing and extorting money from singer Rocky Mittal, and have recovered voice recordings of alleged extortion calls.

As part of the investigation, Panchkula police will now take Meeru’s voice sample and send it to the forensic science laboratory for analysis. (Getty image)

The accused was identified as Meeru, a resident of Delhi. She was taken into custody from Kalka. The police have secured a two-day remand for Meeru, while the remand of another accused, Amit Bindal, has been extended by two more days.

Police officials familiar with the matter said Meeru is a close associate of the woman complainant who had earlier filed a case against the singer and Haryana BJP chief Mohan Badoli in Kasauli. Investigations have revealed that Meeru played a key role in demanding extortion money. The police claimed that she was the one who repeatedly called Badoli to demand money.

As part of the investigation, the police will now take Meeru’s voice sample and send it to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) for analysis.

Meanwhile, the police have also recovered ₹80,000 in cash from accused Amit Bindal. Officials alleged that Bindal was the mastermind behind the extortion plot and had been organising paid protests in the alleged gang-rape case against Mittal and Badoli. According to the police, Bindal gathered poor people and paid them to stage demonstrations to build pressure on Mittal and Badoli.

People familiar with the matter said Bindal had checked into a hotel in Manimajra, where he was staying while attempting to strike a deal with Mittal. He was accompanied by his accomplice Mehak, who had already been arrested. Another accused identified as Poonam and the woman complainant are yet to be arrested by the police.

The singer had 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).