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Blackmailing ‘racket’
Accused sent to two days police remand
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Barnala, January 4
The court of additional chief judicial magistrate today gave two days police remand to one of the accused journalist Sonu Bansal in connection with blackmailing influential persons of Barnala on the plea of police that remand of the accused was necessary for doling out the facts.

About eight persons including three girls, four journalists and a pharmacists were allegedly running a racket for blackmailing some influential persons of Barnala by making their nude clips with the girls and threatening them to show it to their wives.

Police sources said acting on a complaint by a local doctor to the SSP Barnala, H.S. Bhullar that some media persons were blackmailing him for showing his nude clip to his wife if he did not give them Rs five lakhs, a police party on January 1, 2010 arrested six accused including three journalists, two girls and a pharmacist whereas another journalist and a girl managed to escape.

They identified the accused as alleged district in-charge of a vernacular, who also worked as reporter in a channel, Karamjeet Khippal, alleged reporter of a TV Channel, Sanjay Bansal, reporter, Sonu Bansal, pharmacist, Rakesh Kumar, crime reporter, Sukhjinder Singh aka Prince Kanda, Payal, Radha and Nisha Rani.

Police authorities said that though three accused, Karamjeet Khippal, Payal, Radha Rani were sent by a local court to 14 days judicial remand on January 2, Sanjay Bansal and Rakesh Kumar were produced by the police before duty magistrate Rakesh Beri, who remanded them to 14 days judicial remand till January 16.

They added that police has already recovered Rs one lakh from Sanjay Bansal, Rs 75,000 from Sonu Bansal and Rs 20,000 and a video camera from Karamjeet Khippal.

Police further said that the police seeking further police remand of one of the accused Sonu Bansal to dole out more facts from him as also to make recoveries produced him before the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate, Barnala, who gave two days police remand of the accused.

They added that besides police is also hunting for Sukhjinder Singh aka Prince Kanda and a girl Nisha Rani, who continued to be at large.

DSP, Barnala, Rupinder Bhardwaj told The Tribune that police is further investigating the matter to dole out more facts in the case. He urged the affected people, if any, to come forward to share any sort of details in the matter.

Meanwhile, police sources claimed that of the Rs 11 to 12 lakhs made by the gang by this practice, the police have managed to make recoveries of just Rs 2.95 lakhs.