Bijnor: Police have arrested two alleged members of a gang accused of extorting money by threatening people with serious criminal cases, including rape, gangrape, offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, officials said.
The accused have been identified as Ravita Gautam, alias Ravita Devi, a resident of Khedki Tappa village, and Naushad of Bakshiwala. An FIR was registered on September 12 following a complaint by Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Begrajpur village in Najibabad, police said.
According to investigators, Ravita had earlier lodged a complaint against Kumar at Haldaur police station and allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh to settle the matter, while threatening to implicate him in a rape case. After Kumar allegedly refused to pay, another woman filed a gangrape complaint against him and others.
Police said the allegations in that complaint were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated, following which a final report was submitted to the court.
Investigators suspect that the case is linked to a wider racket allegedly headed by Julfeqar, alias Babbu Langda. The gang allegedly targeted individuals involved in personal disputes, property-related disagreements and old enmities, using women to lodge serious criminal complaints and subsequently demand money for settlement.
Police said five complaints or cases were allegedly initiated against Kumar as part of the purported plan. Twelve other alleged members of the gang had previously been arrested and sent to jail.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi said the case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are also examining the alleged misuse of provisions of the POCSO and SC/ST Acts in earlier complaints.
The role of other suspects and whether similar complaints were allegedly used to extort money from other individuals are being investigated, the SP said.
