Salon manager alleges extortion by cops, retracts

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 11

In a twist to a case of extortion against the SHO of the Mansa Devi Complex police station and Home Guards jawan and molestation against the latter, the manager of a salon retracted from her statement in the court today.

In his complain to the police yesterday, Pankaj Sharma, the owner of the salon, had alleged that Home Guards jawan Jashan Pal, at the behest of SHO Ravi Kant Sharma, had demanded ‘monthly extortion money’ of Rs 20,000 from the woman manager of his salon. He had stated that the manager told Jashan Pal that why should they give them money when they were not indulging in any illegal work at the salon. At this, Jashan told her that he would get the salon closed and called up the SHO and told him that only Rs 10,000 of the ‘extortion money’ was being paid. In the meantime, Jashan Pal started molesting the woman manager. The incident was recorded on the CCTV camera of the salon, the complainant stated.

Following the complaint, the SHO and the Home Guards jawan were booked under Section 354-D and 384 of the IPC at the MDC police station late on Tuesday night. The SHO was sent to the Police Lines while the Home Guards jawan was arrested on the basis of the CCTV footage of the salon.

Today, the police had asked the woman manager to record her statement under Section 164 of the CrPC. However, she denied the allegations mentioned in the complaint. She stated that no incident of forcibly taking money and molestation by Home Guards jawan took place. She said she had family relations with Jashan Pal and had given him money for her personal work.

In a press release issued here today, the Deputy Commissioner of Police stated that SHO Ravi Kant had been suspended while Home Guards jawan Jashan Pal was arrested after the registration of the case against them. The DCP said the woman manager had retracted from the statement made by the complainant. However, investigations would be carried out on the basis of the video CD provided by Pankaj Sharma. Jashan Pal would be produced in the court and his remand would be sought to bring out the truth, the cop added.

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