Police officer accuses Dholpur SP of involvement in extortion racket

A police officer has accused the SP here of being involved in a racket to extort money from the drivers of commercial vehicles on the stretch of the national highway that passes through the district.

Dholpur DSP Dinesh Sharma shot off a letter to the Bharatpur Inspector General of Police (IGP) with some serious allegations against Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh, a 2009-batch IPS officer.

In the letter, written in Hindi, Sharma alleged that police officers in connivance with around 20 other men were extorting money from drivers of commercial vehicles at nine places on the national highway.

The 27-km stretch of National Highway-3 comes under the jurisdiction of four different police stations in the area.

A large share of the collection was being sent to the SP, he alleged, adding that drivers were being beaten up and put in the lock-up for refusing to give money.

"This is extortion under Section 383 of the IPC, which is done by the SHOs of the local police stations, their associates and private men," he said in the letter.

"Their number remains five or more, therefore, this is an act of dacoity under Section 391 of the IPC," Sharma added.

He also mentioned the names and mobile numbers of the "private men" involved in the racket.

Sharma alleged that drivers ferrying sand and gravel illegally mined from the Chambal river were asked to shell out Rs 26,000 at the Sagarpada police check-post under the Kotwali police station.

He claimed the daily collection ranged from Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh at this checkpoint while the SP's share is the collection for 20 days in a month, he alleged.

At four other checkpoints, the DSP alleged that the daily picking was about Rs 6 lakh each.

Sharma claimed the two "interceptor" vehicles also collected Rs 1 lakh per day.

The officer claimed in the letter that acting upon a tip-off, he conducted a secret check and got to know about the extortion racket.

Several other allegations were also levelled against the SP in the letter, sent to the IGP on Monday.

When contacted, Bharatpur IGP Bhupendra Sahu said the allegations are being examined.

"Many allegations have been levelled in the letter. There are many facts, which are being examined. Senior officers at the police headquarters have been apprised of the matter and suitable action against those found guilty will be taken as per directions from the police headquarters," Sahu said.

SP Ajay Singh could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

He had remained suspended for over two years during his probation period in a case of corruption.

Singh was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in June 2012 for allegedly demanding a bribe through an ASI for registering an FIR, when he was posted in Ajmer as an assistant SP.

The officer, who remained suspended from June 2014-December 2018, was acquitted in the case by a special ACB court last year.