Five of 8-member gang arrested

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 17

The police booked eight persons, including three women, for extorting Rs 40,000 from a man by threatening him to implicate in an immoral trafficking case.

While the men posed as policemen, the women were allegedly running a sex racket.

The accused have been identified as Jagdeep Singh of CRP colony in Dugri, Jagrati Singh, Chinda, Jassi Aunty, Riya Verma, Mahi Gill. Two of their accomplices are still unidentified.

The case has been registered on the complaint of Satinder Singh of Sartaj Nagar in Basti Jodhewal.

Satinder Singh told the police that on April 14 he visited Dugri in connection with some work where he met Jagdeep Singh. Jagdeep coaxed Satinder to visit the house in Dugri where Jassi Aunty runs her sex trade racket.

Satinder said when he visited the house of Jassi Aunty, some men posing as policemen entered the house and arrested him.

He told the Dugri police that after detaining him at the house for some time, the persons posing as policemen told Satinder that either he should pay them a bribe of Rs 80,000 or he would be arrested.

Satinder said if he would have been arrested in the immoral trafficking case, it would have not only caused social embarrassment, but also ruined his married life.

Satinder immediately paid the first instalment of Rs 40,000 and promised to pay the rest of the amount after two days.

On April 16, when he was visiting Dugri to pay the rest of the amount, he contacted a friend and discussed the matter.

Satinder was shocked to find out that it was a fake police raid and the persons posing as policemen were actually conmen hired by Jassi Aunty.

Sub-Inspector Harinder Pal Singh said five of the accused, including three women, were arrested, while Satinder was handing over the second instalment of Rs 40,000 to the accused yesterday.

While Jassi Aunty is notorious for running sex trade racket in the city, Riya Verma (47), a spinster, and Mahi Gill, a Class VII dropout, were working as sex workers for her.

Riya, who was earlier residing in Kolkata and other parts of the country, had recently come to the city.

While the accused were calming that they had conducted a fake police raid for the first time, the police are doubting their claim.