Core team of ex-Bajali SP ran extortion racket: Special DGP Harmeet Singh

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Special DGP Harmeet Singh said that former SP Siddhartha Buragohain and former Additional SP Gayatri Sonowal and their core team were running the organized extortion racket in the Bajali district.

Speaking to the media here today, the Special DG said, “The allegations against the Bajali police are true. The CID arrested ten, including SP Siddhartha Buragohain, ASP Gayatri Sonowal, and DSP Puskal Gogoi. Former DSP Puskal Gogoi allegedly led a police team to raid the house of supari trader Rabiul Islam on the tip-off drugs on August 15 and 16, 2023. Without getting drugs in the search operation, they took Rabiul to Bhabanipur Police Station, kept him there, and allegedly assaulted him physically. They took Rs 10 lakh in cash, 21 blank cheques and two cheques signed by Rabiul’s mother. The investigators recovered the cheques from HDFC and SBI. The investigators also recovered a suitcase containing Rs 64.29 lakh. The forensic team also collected the fingerprints of the suitcase before sending it to the laboratory.”

Singh said, “The PSO of the ASP demanded Rabiul buy two Macbooks and as many Innova cars, and Rabiul bought them two Macbooks. The investigators recovered one of the Mackbooks and the covering box of the other. The CID seized 17 mobile phones, two iPhones, one iPad, one laptop, and one DVR from the accused.”

Forensic and psychiatric experts from Gandhinagar came for interrogation and voice player analysis. We are waiting for the results. Voice players are a new technology under investigation. It makes the investigator know if the accused is telling the truth and how the accused is involved in the incident.”

He further said, “We have interrogated as many as 11 people, and ten of them are under the custody of the CID. The police team extorted Rs 2.50 crore, including Rs 10 lakh in cash. This is the handiwork of the core team of an SP, and for that, all police personnel should be blamed. A few more personnel may be arrested. The CID also sent footage from CCTV cameras for forensic analysis”.

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