Fake mining officials took Rs17,000 everyday from himFive arrested for extorting Rs1.36 lakh from realtor

Tribune News Service

Zirakpur, January 20

The police have nabbed five persons for impersonating as mining department officials and extorting money from a Zirakpur-based developer for dumping earth from his GMADA-approved project to another. The suspects had been taking Rs 17,000 everyday from him for the past one week. They had extorted a total of Rs 1.36 lakh from Dhakoli-based realtor Daljit Singh.

The police registered a case against the five suspects under Sections 384 and 506 of the IPC at the Zirakpur police station today. They have been identified as Shambhu, a resident of Mangu, Padiala resident Raman Kumar, Rajiv Kumar of Machlikalan, Narinder Singh of Hoshiarpur and Manoj Kumar of Kharar. They were produced before the Dera Bassi court that sent them to three-day police remand.

The police said all suspects were involved with the mining mafia earlier and knew the modus operandi to extort money from developers.

Zirakpur SHO Omkar Singh Brar said Daljit told them that he had a project, named Oxford, at Zirakpur from where excess earth was being shifted to another place legally. The suspects were extorting money from him since January 12 by posing as officials of the Mining Department. On Tuesday, when the suspects reached the site and asked for money, the police nabbed them.