2007 Moga sex scandal: Former SSP, ex-SP sentenced to five years in jail

CBI special judge, Mohali, Rakesh Gupta pronounced the verdict after convicting Garcha, Sandhu, then Moga city SHO Raman Kumar and then inspector Amarjit Singh under Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the PC Act on March 29.

Raman Kumar, who was also convicted under Section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was awarded eight-year imprisonment by the court, while Amarjit Singh was held guilty under Sections 384 and 511 (attempt to extort) and sentenced to a total of six years and six months in jail. While the former SSP and SP will pay ₹2 lakh as fine, the court imposed a penalty of ₹3 lakh on Raman Kumar and ₹2.5 lakh fine on Amarjit Singh.

The CBI court acquitted Barjinder Singh, alias Makhan, the son of former Punjab minister Tota Singh and Sukhraj Singh of all the charges.

Garcha and Sandhu were arrested for blackmailing influential persons to extort money.

The CBI took over the probe on the Punjab and Haryana high court’s direction on December 11, 2007. A day later, the central probe agency registered a fresh FIR in the case.

In the 2009 challan, the central investigating agency framed charges against, Garcha, Sandhu, Raman Kumar, Amarjit Singh besides Barjinder Singh, Manjit Kaur, Sukhraj Singh, Karamjit Singh Bath and Ranbir Singh, all residents of Moga district.

Criminal conspiracy

The probe concluded that the accused public servants abused their official positions and entered into a criminal conspiracy to obtain undue pecuniary gain by corrupt and illegal means. Innocent persons were implicated to extract illegal gratification to exclude their names based on affidavits sworn by Manjit Kaur, the so-called minor victim/complainant.

Manjit Kaur along with advocates Bath and Ranbir turned approver in the case.

In 2018, Manjit Kaur along with her husband Rajpreet Singh were murdered in Zira.

According to the challan, two women, including Manjit Kaur, in connivance with the police officers and Barjinder extorted money from influential people by threatening to frame them in sexual abuse cases if they refused to pay up. Several prominent businessmen of Moga were blackmailed.

Complaint that exposed racket

The case came to light on June 7, 2007, when Ranjit Singh of Bhagike village in Moga complained to the additional director general of police (law and order), alleging that the then SHO Amarjit Singh had demanded a bribe of ₹50,000 from him over phone and threatened that in case of non-payment, his name would be included in the rape case registered on the complaint of Manpreet Kaur.

The complainant along with others was later booked in another FIR dated June 4, 2007, under Sections 323, 342, 506 and 149 of the IPC at Baghapurana police station on the complaint of Manpreet Kaur.

Ranjit Singh’s complaint was marked to the Baghapurana DSP for an inquiry following which a case was registered on October 24, 2007, against then inspector Amarjit Singh, Manjit Kaur and Manpreet Kaur under the PC Act.

CASE FILE

The scandal surfaced in 2007, during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government’s tenure, when a gangrape case was registered at Moga city police station based on a complaint by a young woman from Jagraon. Her statement was recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC.

However, what followed was a disturbing turn as investigators found that certain police officers had manipulated the case, allegedly adding names of businessmen and political figures to extort money.

The situation escalated after an audio recording surfaced, allegedly capturing police officers demanding bribes to settle the case.

Investigations revealed a racket involving two women who, in collusion with the police, would entrap businessmen and extort money. Though the women were later given a clean chit, the CBI’s probe led to the arrest and conviction of the four key police personnel.