In a shocking case of corruption, the Jaipur police on Friday arrested four individuals, including three of its own constables, for their alleged involvement in a brazen extortion racket. The accused are charged with illegally detaining and intimidating a man to extort a massive sum of Rs 17 lakh during a fake roadside check in the Mansarovar area this Wednesday.
The Staged Interception and Extortion Plot
According to the police, the entire incident was a carefully orchestrated drama. The victim, an employee of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) posted in the Northeast, was travelling in a vehicle near Bharat Mata Circle with an acquaintance, Yogesh Patel. It was here that a policeman, later identified as one of the accused constables, stopped the car and levelled false accusations against the NIC employee.
The complainant was threatened with the registration of criminal cases that could potentially ruin his career. While the victim was forced to remain inside the vehicle, Patel was sent away under the pretext of arranging money to "settle" the matter. An investigation later revealed that Patel was fully aware the victim had a large amount of cash stored at his paying guest accommodation.
The Conspiracy and Arrests
Police officials stated that the interception was far from random. It emerged that Yogesh Patel, who had a monetary dispute with the victim, conspired with his relative, Pawan Kumar Gurjar (36), a café operator in Mansarovar. Gurjar, leveraging his contacts with local policemen, brought the constables into the plot.
The arrested individuals include Gurjar; constables Babulal Meena (40) and Anil Kumar Ragera (38) from Mansarovar police station; and constable Kailash Chand (37) posted at Narayan Vihar station. The mastermind, Yogesh Patel, who allegedly fled with the extorted money, remains at large.
During the execution of the plan, the victim's younger brother, Suneel, was coerced into going to the hostel to fetch the cash. He handed over the money to Patel, who then escaped with the entire sum. The victim was then driven around the Swarn Path area before being dropped near a Metro station and told the issue was resolved.
Investigation Uncovers Wider Details
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Rajarshi Raj Varma provided details of the case, noting that the police action was staged to look routine. The probe also uncovered that Patel had deliberately brought the complainant to the predetermined spot in his own car to set the trap in motion.
Interestingly, the victim was initially hesitant to file a formal complaint. "We asked him to register an FIR, but he kept dilly-dallying," said an officer, adding that the complainant later inquired if the case could be withdrawn.
Police are still investigating the promised share of the extorted money for each constable and whether they received it. In a separate line of inquiry, authorities are also probing the source of the large amount of cash the victim was carrying and the reasons for keeping it at his hostel.
This incident has raised serious questions about police conduct and the vulnerability of citizens to orchestrated crimes involving those in uniform.
