Gujarat Police arrests SP in extortion, loot case

Amreli district Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagdish Patel has been arrested in a case of extortion and loot, following the questioning of an Inspector earlier arrested in the case, the Gujarat Police said on Monday.

"We picked up the Amreli SP after interrogating arrested Crime Branch Inspector Anant Patel," Director General of Police (CID-Crime) Ashish Bhatia told the media here.

Police sources said that SP Jagdish Patel had stayed away from office after the arrest of Inspector Patel. The CID-Crime summoned Jagdish Patel for questioning two days ago but picked him from his residence in Amreli late Sunday night after he did not respond.

Surat builder Sailesh Bhatt had alleged that he was abducted by the Amreli Local Crime Branch (LCB) Inspector Anant Patel, who forcibly made him transfer 200 Bitcoin currency of Rs 12 crore from his account and pay up Rs 32 crore in cash.

Bhatt said there were other policemen from the Amreli LCB who helped Patel and kept him confined at a farmhouse near Gandhinagar. He was then forced to share his passwords and code for the transfer of Bitcoins.

Amreli LCB Constables Babu Der and Vijay and Surat-based advocate Ketan Patel were also arrested in the case earlier.

Anant Patel, on the run since a police complaint filed earlier this month, was arrested by the Crime branch last week.

Anant Patel is said to have named the SP during his interrogation, and claimed that he acted on the Amreli SP's orders.

The CID-Crime has constituted an SIT to probe the case.

--IANS

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