New Delhi: Businessman Niraj Kumar Singh had three unwelcome visitors minutes after he opened his office, where he used to run multiple businesses in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area, on Friday. The masked trio snapped the CCTV cable and began searching for cash.
In no time, Singh’s staff were forced into a car and taken to his residence, while he ended up at a police booth in Peergarhi area and allegedly coerced into paying a sum of Rs 20.5 lakh.
It later came to light that a woman sub-inspector was the alleged mastermind and that the masked men were policemen working on her directions. The officer along with constables Vishal Chillar and Pramod Kumar, head constable Ajit Kumar, and ‘middleman’ Ajay Kashyap, were arrested Sunday.
Neetu Bisht, the sub-inspector, is said to have accounts in social media platforms, including Instagram.
Based on Singh’s complaint, an FIR was registered at the Paschim Vihar East police station under Section 308(2), 308(3) (extortion), 140(3) (abduction), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Hectic search, negotiation
As he operated multiple businesses, including an educational consultancy firm, a stock market broking business, and a car rental company, from his Paschim Vihar office, Singh said cash is often stored in his office due to the nature of the work.
“…it seems that all the aforesaid were aware of the same. Therefore, immediately entering into the office the person impersonating himself as constable Vishal Chillar continuously asked my two of the office staff where is the cash of Rs 50 lakh,” Singh alleged in the complaint that formed the basis of the First Information Report (FIR), a copy of which ThePrint has seen.
When the two staffers denied knowing about the cash, they were bundled into a car and taken to his residence. Singh himself was whisked away to a police booth in Peeragarhi, a few kilometres away, where he was “threatened” by his abductors.
Kashyap appeared at the spot and joined the “negotiation” talks. “He took the policemen away and persuaded them to close the matter at the cost of Rs 40 lakh,” the complaint reads.
Singh, according to the FIR, coughed up a sum of Rs 20.5 lakh via a cheque of Rs 6.5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh through RTGS for avoiding a false case lodged against him and his staff. Kashyap also got Rs 4 lakh from one of his acquaintances, it added.
Singh claimed that he, along with his two staff members, were later released around 4.30 pm that day, but not before he agreed to pay the remaining Rs 19.5 lakh of the negotiated amount.
When the police called Kashyap for questioning on Saturday, he claimed that Singh owed Rs 3 lakh and, therefore, sought money from him.
In the preliminary investigation, the Delhi Police found that Kashyap received many calls, including from Neetu. After sustained questioning, Kashyap gave in and revealed that the entire plot was hatched by the sub inspector who was on leave.
All the five were arrested and are now in judicial custody. They have also been suspended and a departmental enquiry is currently underway against them.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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