Extortion: IAS couple joins probe, appears before SIT

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, July 26

The IAS couple Ajay Tomar and Sangeeta Tetarwal today joined the police investigation in a case pertaining to extortion from operators of overloaded vehicles.

Rohtak SP Rahul Sharma, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the inter-district racket, confirmed that former Charkhi Dadri Deputy Commissioner Ajay Tomar and his wife and former Charkhi Dadri ADC-cum-RTA Secretary Sangeeta Tetarwal had joined the investigation personally and appeared before the SIT today.

“They had been served notices to join the probe and they appeared before the SIT today. They have been handed over a questionnaire regarding the case and given a week’s time to respond to the questions,” the SP maintained.

He stated that the mobile phones of Tomar and Tetarwal had been sent to the Digital Investigation, Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) lab in Gurugram for examination to discern the details of the calls and communications made by them.

“The investigation will proceed further after we receive the report from the DITAC lab and the answered questionnaire,” said Sharma.

The racket, which was being operated in connivance with certain officials of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), was unearthed by a special team of the Rohtak police in May this year.

Five persons, including two RTA officials, a personal assistant of the then deputy commissioner of Charkhi Dadri and two middlemen have been arrested in this connection so far.

The Rohtak police had received inputs that certain agents and middlemen were extorting money from the operators of overloaded vehicles carrying building material by threatening them with challaning of their vehicles in connivance with RTA officials.

After extorting money, the overloaded vehicles were allowed to pass through Dadri, Narnaul, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Sonipat districts without getting challaned.

Acting on a tip-off, a special team comprising officials of the CIA wing and Cyber Cell officials arrested middlemen Ravinder, alias Kala, of Bahadurgarh and Surender Rathi of Rohtak, who were extorting money from the vehicle operators. A Tuscan car and a Creta car were seized from their possession.

On the basis of information provided by them, RTA officials Manish Madan and Amit and the then Charkhi Dadri Deputy Commissioner’s personal assistant Suresh were also arrested. An amount of Rs 63.79 lakh was recovered from the possession of the arrested persons.

A case under Sections 384 of the IPC and Sections 7, 8, 9 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against them.

Phone call details under scanner

• The mobile phones of former Charkhi Dadri DC Ajay Tomar and his wife and former Charkhi Dadri ADC Sangeeta Tetarwal have been sent to an investigation lab in Gurugram for examination to discern the details of the calls and communications made by them
• The police said the investigation will proceed further after the report on mobile phone details and the answered questionnaire are submitted