HC stays arrest of Punjab Police officer

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Monday stayed the arrest of controversial senior Punjab Police officer Gautam Cheema in cases registered against him.

The court, while staying the arrest till Nov 3, directed Cheema to join investigation in the cases registered against him. Cheema had been on the run in the last few days and was avoiding arrest.

Cheema, an inspector general (IG) of police, was suspended last month by the Punjab government following a complaint filed by three women - Krispy Khera, Maninder Gulati and Amarpreet Verma - against him.

Khera is the wife of property dealer Devinder Singh Gill with whom Cheema and other police officers of Punjab and their relatives had invested crores of rupees in real estate.

Gill was arrested by Haryana Police last month in a rape case.

Punjab Police had registered cases against Cheema last month on the charge of abducting a proclaimed offender (PO) from a police station.

He was also booked for alleged molestation after Gill's wife Krispy complained to police that Cheema had allegedly tried to molest her.

Cheema, who was posted in the information technology and telecommunications wing, was booked along with three others, including a woman, for allegedly abducting PO Sumedh Gulati recently from a police station in Mohali, 10 km from here. Gulati had been brought to the police station for questioning.

A number of Punjab officers, including police officers, and their relatives had allegedly invested millions of unaccounted money with Gill in real estate but he conned them.