Four police personnel in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district have been suspended after allegedly demanding Rs 5 lakh from a Haryana resident to release his nephew, who had been taken into custody in connection with a case involving illegal tree felling.
The accused include Sub-Inspector Kulveer Singh, Head Constable Vijaypal, and constables Gaurav and Upender, who were posted at Najibabad police station.
According to the complaint, the four policemen arrived at the house of Amjad Majidi, a resident of Panipat, Haryana, around 1:30 am on the night of November 11-12. They allegedly told him that his nephew, Hamza, was wanted in a case involving the cutting of trees in a forest and another case of attempted murder.
The policemen then took Hamza to Uttar Pradesh despite Amjad’s request that they summon him for questioning instead.
Police Allegedly Demanded Rs 5 Lakh for Release
Amjad alleged that the policemen stopped their vehicle on the road near Kairana, close to the Uttar Pradesh-Haryana border, and demanded Rs 5 lakh to release his nephew.
He offered to pay Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 as expenses, but the policemen allegedly refused and insisted on the full amount.
They reportedly asked him to reach Sahanpur police post by 7 am and threatened to send Hamza to jail if he failed to arrange the money.
According to the complaint, when Amjad reached the police post with his associates, the policemen again demanded Rs 5 lakh.
He alleged that they threatened to implicate Hamza in a serious case in which he would not get bail even from the High Court.
Conversation Recorded on Mobile Phone
Amjad claimed that his associate Naushad recorded the conversation between him and the policemen on a mobile phone.
He subsequently approached Bijnor Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi and submitted a complaint seeking action against the personnel.
Following the complaint, the SP ordered the registration of an FIR against all four accused policemen and suspended them with immediate effect.
The SP said efforts were underway to arrest the suspended personnel.
The allegations against the policemen are under investigation.
