Dera Bassi SHO booked for kidnapping, extortion

Police have booked a station house officer (SHO) of SAS Nagar district for kidnapping for ransom and extortion on the complaint of advocate Vaneet Kumar Sharma, a resident of Sector 4, Mansa Devi Complex (MDC), Panchkula.

The accused SHO, inspector Atul Soni, is currently posted at the Dera Bassi police station. Also, sub-inspector Som Nath, posted at Matour police station, has been booked.

THE CASE

Sharma was advocate of Navneet Kumar and his wife Nisha Devi in a tenant-landlord dispute. As per allegations, on March 26, 2013, Kumar was picked up at 10am by the police and was allegedly taken to Matour police station by the then SHO Atul Soni where he threatened to implicate him in a false case if he did not vacate the premises of landlord Gurbachan Kaur. Kumar was allegedly tortured, beaten up and abused by Soni.

A habeas corpus petition was filed the same day and a warrant officer was appointed who raided Matour police station and got Kumar released.

Then Kumar filed a petition before the high court which directed the SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) to take appropriate action on Kumar’s representation against Soni and Gurbachan.

On April 30, 2013, Kumar and Nisha, along with two unidentified people, were booked for attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt and house trespass. Nisha was ar rested and produced before the magistrate. On the same day, Sharma appeared to defend Nisha.

Sub-inspector Som Nath then allegedly picked up Shar ma from outside the residence of the magistrate and took him to Matour police station. Sharma alleged that at the police station, Soni misbehaved with him and threatened to implicate him in an attempt to murder case. He held Sharma responsible for raid on police station and petition of Kumar in the HC against him. He also gave Sharma the option that if he pressurised his client to vacate Gurbachan’s accommodation, he would be released.

Advocate Shar ma has also named vernacular journalists for publishing the story the next day in connivance with Soni to defame him. As the alleged incident of attempt to murder took place on April 25, 2013, at 10.30am, Sharma told Soni that he was present in the court of Justice LN Mittal at that time and camera footages could prove that. He was released after an alleged detention of two hours.

“As the Panchkula Police did not register a case on Sharma’s complaint on May 3, 2013, so he filed an application before the court, which ordered registration of FIR on May 27,” said Jagpal Singh, counsel for Sharma. The police on Monday booked the SHO and the subinspector for kidnapping for ransom, defamation, criminal conspiracy, extortion, public servant disobeying law, public servant framing incorrect record, printing defamatory matter, sale of printed defamatory matter and for intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. They were also booked under the Information Technology Act. Soni remained unavailable on his phone. “We have to take legal opinion in the case regarding jurisdiction. The probe is on,” said inspector SHO of Mansa Devi police station.