Gujarat: Inspector, head constable booked for extorting Rs 63 lakh from 9 businessman in Morbi

Morbi, Dec 13 (PTI) A police inspector and a head constable were booked for allegedly extorting Rs 63 lakh from nine businessman by implicating them in a fake gambling case in Gujarat's Morbi district in October, an official said on Friday.

Accused YK Gohil was inspector of Tankara police station at the time. He and co-accused head constable Mahipatsinh Solanki were placed under suspension last week, the official added.

"They were booked on Wednesday on the complaint of inspector RG Khat after an internal probe by the State Monitoring Cell found substance in allegations against them. They are yet to be arrested," SMC Deputy Superintendent of Police KT Kamaria said.

As per the FIR, Gohil and Solanki raided a resort in Tankara on October 26 and found nine persons from Morbi and Rajkot playing cards.

Though the nine persons were not gambling using cash, Gohil started recording in his mobile phone and threatened to book them in a gambling case and also threatened to share the video with the media, the FIR stated.

Gohil demanded Rs 15 lakh from them for not registering a case and finally settled for Rs 12 lakh, which he got Solanki to collect from a person on Morbi highway, the FIR said.

Despite taking money, he took the nine persons to Tankara police station and lodged them in the lock-up, after which he sought Rs 6 lakh from each of them to ensure they get bail before the arrival of the media, making false entries in the FIR, returning their phones and not issuing a press note etc, it said.

The nine persons paid Rs 51 lakh in cash and Gohil issued a press release the next day after changing some of the names, the FIR stated.

As per the FIR, state Director General of Police Vikas Sahay on December 4 directed the SMC to conduct a probe into the issue after newspapers published reports about alleged wrongdoing.

Gohil and Solanki were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 199 (public servant disobeying direction under law), 233 (using evidence known to be false), 228 (fabricating false evidence), 201 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 336 (forgery) and 308 (extortion).

Relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act have also been invoked against them, police said. PTI COR PJT PD BNM