Six booked for impersonating ‘gau sevaks’, animal welfare officer

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, December 9

A case of extortion in the name of cow protection has come to light. The police have booked six persons on the charge of extorting over Rs 12 lakh from cattle traders from Rajasthan by claiming that they were ‘gau sevaks’, with one of them impersonating animal welfare officer.

One of the traders, Siraj Mohammad, complained that the accused, travelling in cars with red and blue beacons atop, used to intercept vehicles and threaten of implication in cattle smuggling cases.

The complainant said the extortionists used to force them to transfer money into bank accounts and pay them in cash. He claimed that they had paid Rs 12.60 lakh so far and had receipts for online transfer of Rs 2.60 lakh into the bank accounts of the accused.

Siraj claimed that he paid Rs 40,000 to them when they intercepted his vehicle carrying a buffalo and calves on the night of November 27. He said they were again intercepted on December 4 near Dandoor village in the district.

He said they were afraid of these extortionists as they used to assault them and threaten to put them in jail. “They are members of a gang which is active in Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. We were fearful of them as they used to threaten to put us in jail and slap cases on us,” he said.

He said they mustered courage after December 4 when the drivers of the vehicles carrying animals were attacked. He said they had been into cattle trade for four decades and used to take buffaloes and calves to the Gazipur mandi.

Superintendent of Police Shiv Charan said the police had registered a case against Randhir of Jind, his sons Satyaprakash and Mandeep, Baldev of Gaibipur village in Hisar, Sushil Devi of Rewari and Vijay Kumar of Panjwana village in Sirsa.

They were booked for impersonating a public servant, extortion, robbery and fraud. The police started investigation into the case. No arrest had been made so far.

Modus operandi

• Accused travelled in cars with red and blue beacons atop, intercepted vehicles, threatened to implicate drivers in cattle smuggling cases
• Accused forced drivers to transfer money into accounts, took cash