Holes emerge in Pinky’s bribe charge against ex-DGP Saini
Chinks have surfaced in murder convict and dismissed cop Gurmeet Singh Pinky’s allegation that he paid Rs 50 lakh bribe to then director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini to get reinstated in the Punjab Police as a head constable.
Chinks have surfaced in murder convict and dismissed cop Gurmeet Singh Pinky’s allegation that he paid Rs 50 lakh bribe to then director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini to get reinstated in the Punjab Police as a head constable.
At the core of Pinky’s allegation is that a fugitive, Amandeep Kumar alias Skoda, knew then DGP personally and that Skoda handed over the hush money to Saini, whose even sworn enemies vouch for his honesty.
According to official records, a few months after being prematurely released from jail, Pinky was reinstated by deputy inspector general (DIG), Ludhiana range, Gurinder Singh Dhillon as head constable on May 15 - the decision that was immediately revoked on the direction of then DGP Saini.
As per police records, neither the principal secretary (home) nor the DGP was kept in the loop by DIG Dhillon while reinstating Pinky, who was convicted in a murder case.
Pinky’s primary grouse is that his reinstatement was revoked on the direction of Saini, who on May 20 not only issued marching orders to DIG Dhillon but also directed Jalandhar range DIG Lok Nath Angra to review the order in question.
“The order passed by DIG, Ludhiana range (Dhillon), is erroneous, illegal, devoid of merit and mala fide,” reads DIG Angra’s May 20 order.
In his complaint to the Chandigarh police, Pinky has alleged: “It requires mentioning here that then DGP Saini misused/abused his official position and duped the complainant of Rs 50 lakh in connivance with Amandeep Kumar alias Skoda… the complainant was compelled to pay Rs 50 lakh for his reinstatement on the false promises of Saini…”
That Pinky’s allegation has some design can be gauged from the fact that middleman Skoda was arrested in May last year on Saini’s direction.
According to Muktsar district police chief Kuldeep Singh Chahal, who had “arrested” Skoda “on DGP Saini’s instruction, Skoda came under police scrutiny with the arrest of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi last year.
Talking to HT on the phone, SSP Chahal said, “Following Bishnoi’s arrest, Skoda threatened my subordinates, saying that he knows DGP Saini and asked us to let off Bishnoi. Then I myself informed Saini that one person, identifying himself as Skoda, says he knows you and is asking us to free gangster Bishnoi. Saini told me that he does not know any Skoda and directed me to immediately lodge an FIR, arrest him and ‘hang this fellow upside down’ and interrogate.”
Following this, as per police records, a total of 10 cases were registered against Skoda for cheating, forgery and duping people by “misusing” names of police officers and politicians and for promising jobs in army, police etc.
Later, Skoda came out on bail and is on the run. He was declared a proclaimed offender in October.
After Skoda was nabbed, complaints began pouring in and cases of cheating were registered in other districts of Malwa.
Another police officer who interrogated Skoda said: “This top-grade tout had even dropped the bombshell once that he was intimate with some senior woman police officers too. He was interrogated in three-four districts by police officers on specific instructions of then DGP Saini. Skoda had admitted that he neither knows DGP Saini nor other cops, including woman officers whose name he was exploiting while cheating people.”
Criminal record
Some of the cheating cases against Amandeep Kumar alias Skoda
Received Rs 10 lakh, promising to settle NDPS case
Rs 10 lakh for sending people abroad
Rs 5 lakh received from two youths to get them recruited in the army
Rs 12.80 lakh received on promise of job in Punjab police
Rs 10 lakh received to settle land dispute