‘Robbery’ case twist: ‘Victim’, drug addicts, policeman land in same FIR

What began as a complaint of Rs 2.15-lakh highway robbery has taken an extraordinary turn in Faridkot. — leaving both the alleged victim and the alleged assailants arrayed as accused in the same case.

Three days after vegetable vendor Kulwant Singh claimed that four men impersonating police officers had robbed him near Koharwala village, the Faridkot police uncovered that the sensational robbery was a fabricated story — one allegedly crafted by the vendor to “teach a lesson” to four drug-addict youths, including a serving constable, who had harassed him on a deserted rural stretch.

According to the police, the four men — Ranjit Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Gurjit Singh and police constable Harwinder Singh — intercepted Kulwant’s vehicle , posing as police personnel conducting a narcotics search. Though they did not take away any money, the vendor was left “shaken and humiliated”.

Having noted their vehicle number, Kulwant and his friend Rajwinder Singh allegedly decided to lodge a complaint of “robbery of Rs 2.15 lakh” to trigger swift and stringent police action. Relying on the complaint, the police registered an FIR under stringent BNS sections, treating it as a serious highway robbery.

Swift investigation led to the arrest of all four youths. However, during questioning it emerged that while the men had indeed stopped the vendor and searched his vehicle, no cash had been taken, said Faridkot SSP Dr Pragya Jain. On further interrogation, Kulwant admitted to scripting the robbery claim, and Rajwinder confessed to assisting him. Both have now been booked in the same FIR for giving false information.

As a result, the complainant and the alleged harassers now stand side-by-side as accused in the same criminal case — an unusual situation that has complicated the police’s legal course, as the FIR initially revolved around a high-value robbery.

One of the accused, constable Harwinder Singh, was found carrying a holster with 15 live service rounds, leading to the addition of Arms Act charges. Police records further revealed that two accused have serious criminal backgrounds: Gurdeep was earlier booked under Sections 376, 328, 506 and 120-B IPC at Rureke Kalan police station, Barnala (2016), while Kulwant himself is an accused in two earlier cases, including one under the POCSO Act.

The police have now booked the vendor and his friend for spreading false information while proceeding against the four men who impersonated police personnel and conducted an unlawful search.