Hazaribag advocate among four held for extortion by posing as ACB sleuths, claims assaulted by cops

Hazaribag: Four men, who posed as Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials and extorted money from local pharmacists on the pretext of verifying their licenses, were arrested by the police here on Thursday.

All four were held in formal clothes and donned police boots but were carrying fake identity cards. On Sep 9, the four accused staged a fake raid at two medical stores in Danto Kurd village under Katkamsandi police station limits of the district. They arrived in a SUV, which bore a plate of ACB, in formal clothes and donned fake IDs and demanded Rs 10,000 each from the owners of the stores. As locals grew suspicious, they intercepted the vehicle and informed the police.

Acting swiftly, police arrested all four and sent them to judicial custody. From the spot, police recovered the SUV, the fake bureau board, four forged ID cards, four pairs of police boots, a seal, and Rs.2,500 in cash.Informing the media about the arrests, Hazaribag SP Amit Kumar said, “An FIR has been registered against the accused, and they have been sent to judicial custody. Those arrested were identified as Nanduvir Ram, Mahesh Kumar Paswan, Ayodhya Narayan Paswan (51), and Dhaneshwar Ram (35).”

Mahesh, who is a lawyer, claimed he was assaulted by the cops at Katkamsandi police station during his time in custody. He made the claims when he was produced before Judicial Magistrate Alok Kumar at Hazaribag Civil Court.Seeing his injury marks, a group of lawyers met Principal District and Sessions Judge Ranjit Kumar demanding action against the erring cops. Hazaribag Bar Association president Raj Kumar, and his team also pressed for an impartial probe.

Taking cognisance, the District and Sessions Judge directed Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajeev Tripathi and Judicial Magistrate Alok Kumar to record the victim advocate’s statement.

The accused advocate was also ordered to be examined by a medical board.Bar president Raj Kumar said, “If any allegation is made against an advocate, police must first conduct a fair probe.” he warned. Meanwhile, ASP Amit Kumar, who also visited the court assured a fair inquiry into the matter.