Ghaziabad constable suicide: Third suspect arrested for blackmail,extortion

The suspect revealed during questioning that they shared and spent money extorted from the cop to meet their daily expenditure

Police on Friday arrested the third suspect wanted for allegedly abetting the suicide of a 32-year-old police constable who shot himself dead with his service rifle while on duty in Muradnagar on Tuesday.

In his video clip, the constable said that he was upset due to the ongoing extortion and blamed the three suspects for it. He also said he had no other option but to end his life. (Representational image)

He left behind a video clip on his mobile phone in which he accused three people -- two women and a man -- of extorting about ₹6 lakh from him by threatening to implicate him in a false rape case.

Police are treating the video as the man’s dying declaration.

Police registered a first information report (FIR) against the three suspects -- Prachi, 20, her cousin Amit Kumar, 29, and friend Guddan, alias Soniya, 22, under Section 108 (abetting suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Muradnagar police station.

While Prachi and Guddan were arrested on Wednesday, Amit, who was on the run, was arrested on Friday.

According to police, Prachi and Amit hail from Bulandshahr and Guddan hails from Meerut.

Prachi was in a relationship with the deceased policeman for over two years, as both hailed from the same locality in Bulandshahr.

“Amit told us that the three planned to extort money from the constable using blackmail and extorted about ₹6 lakh over the last two years. Prachi would extort money and when the constable refused to pay, she would threaten to implicate him in a fake rape case. The idea for extortion was given by Amit,” said Naresh Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Masuri/Muradnagar circle.

During interrogation, Amit revealed that the three of them shared the extorted money.

“He told us that the three shared and spent money extorted from the cop to meet their daily expenditure. When the trio initially tried to extort money, the constable refused. Then, Amit and Guddan persuaded Prachi to threaten him with a fake rape case. We are investigating the money involved and the bank accounts of the suspects are being scanned,” the officer added.

In his video clip, the constable said that he was upset due to the ongoing extortion and blamed the three suspects for it. He also said he had no other option but to end his life.

Police have added sections relevant to extortion and also levied the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case FIR, aaprt from abetting suicide.