Constable arrested in connection with ₹57-lakh graft case

The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau arrested one more constable of Gurugram Police in connection with ₹57-lakh graft case and the illegal detention of a Delhi-based call centre owner

The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau arrested one more constable of Gurugram Police in connection with ₹57-lakh graft case and the illegal detention of a Delhi-based call centre owner. The former station house officer (SHO) of Kherki Daula police station and a head constable had already been arrested in this case, said the police.

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A senior vigilance officer confirmed the arrest of the constable and said he was produced before the court on Thursday and was taken in two days police remand. “He is likely to become an approver and more arrests are underway,” he said on condition of anonymity.

The constable has been identified as Jagbir Singh. He was posted at Kherki Daula police station and was allegedly involved in kidnapping and extortion of the call centre owner. Singh, along with head constable Amit, had allegedly kidnapped Delh-based businessman Naveen Bhutani from a restaurant on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway in and took him to Kherki Daula police station. Later he was taken to a farmhouse in the Pataudi area.

The owner of the farmhouse Krishan Yadav was arrested on January 7 and former SHO inspector Vishal Kumar had surrendered before a local court on January 12. The head constable Amit was arrested by the vigilance bureau allegedly on December 29 while accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh from Bhutani, following which a case was registered against cops.

The police said Bhutan was held hostage, kidnapped by the SHO and his team in the last week of December, who then demanded ₹ 3 crore, but later settled for ₹1 crore before setting him free after collecting ₹57 lakh.

Mayank Raghav, counsel for Naveen Bhutani, said the vigilance bureau has arrested one more personnel who was part of the crime. “Amit and Jagbir had picked up Bhutani from the restaurant. Amit was arrested in December and Jagbir was arrested on Thursday and was remanded two days of police custody,” said Raghav adding many more arrests are expected in the case.

According to the vigilance department, Bhutani, who runs a call centre and sells religious products in the UK and Australia, had approached the senior officers of the department with a complaint against two officials of the Kherki Daula police station for allegedly extorting ₹57 lakh from him and demanding ₹10 lakh more.

Bhutani said that SHO Vishal Kumar assaulted him in his office and got his laptop data scanned for information on his business. He allegedly asked for ₹1 crore for his release but agreed on ₹57 lakh after negotiation.

Later Bhutani approached senior vigilance officials and narrated his ordeal, following which a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 384 (extortion), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of Indian Penal Code was registered against the police officials.

Later Bhutani approached senior vigilance officials and narrated his ordeal, following which a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 384 (extortion ), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of Indian Penal Code was registered against the police officials.