4 cops among 6 booked for ‘extorting’ Rs 3.75 cr from Kutch businessman

Kiritsinh, Ranveersinh and Rejendrasinh are assistant sub-inspectors (ASI) with the cyber crime police station of Kutch (west) police in Bhuj, while Gadhvi is a head constable attached to the same police station. Sodha is a resident of Gandhidham and nephew of a late IPS officer who had served in Kutch. Mohta is a businessman from Gandhidham.

The six have been booked under IPC sections 365 (kidnapping or abduction with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 342 (wrongful confinement), 389 (putting person in fear of accusation of offence, in order to commit extortion) 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed).

The FIR has been filed nearly six months after the policemen intercepted a truck loaded with areca nuts worth Rs 1 crore at Zero Circle, kidnapped Ashish Patel, manager of a 4FLPL godown in Mundra, and extorted Rs 3.75 crore from Pandit. It also comes around three-and-a-half months after Pandit submitted an application to Inspector General of Police of Border Range, JR Mothaliya, in Bhuj on June 27.

“After we found a prima facie case in the content of the application, we suspended the four policemen in July and they have been on the run since. The two others, who are residents of Gandhidham, are also on the run. Efforts are on to arrest them,” Mothaliya told The Indian Express. He said Dhanera DySP has been assigned the investigation.
A Mumbai native, Pandit currently lives in Gandhidham and is acquainted with Mohta who is into export-import business.

According to the FIR, on April 13, Pandit received a WhatsApp call from Mohta informing him that a truck that had loaded with areca nuts from 4FLPL godown in Mundra had been intercepted by “crime branch” officers. Mohta also warned that the 4FLPL godown would be sealed following the interception.

He was told he had to pay Rs 5 crore to the police to avoid a case, the FIR stated.

The FIR added that the four policemen kidnapped Patel in a private car around 7 pm on April 13 and released him nearly four hours after Pandit agreed to pay Rs 3.75 crore to the accused. He gave Rs 2.32 crore in cash to Mohta between April 14 and April 18, the FIR quotes Pandit as saying. Pandit also asked Mohta to pay the police personnel Rs 1.43 crore that he had earlier lent him and his father.

However, the 52-year-old businessman later realised that Mohta conspired with the other accused to extort Rs 3.75 crore from him by threatening him with a police case.

Later, when Mohta realised that the matter was reported to the police, he met Pandit and told him that he had settled the matter with the help of Sodha. He also told Pandit that he had delivered Rs 85 lakh in cash at Kiritsinh’s residence in Gandhidham through his driver and sent Rs 1.47 crore to Sodha through an angadia (courier) firm. Sodha, in turn, had sent the cash to Kiritsinh, Mohta informed Pandit. He also promised Pandit to return the entire amount if he agreed to withdraw the application, the FIR notes.

Mohta also transferred Rs 65 lakh to Pandit’s account and sent Rs 2.32 crore to Pandit via the angadia firm. However, as per the FIR, Mohta still owes Pandit Rs 13 lakh.

While that payment is pending, Mohta’s father Sunil Mohta, who currently lives in Dubai, started “defaming” Pandit and his company, prompting him to file the application with IGP. “Sunil Mohta is wanted in India while Pankil was booked for the death of three persons in a hit-and-run-case in Gandhidham in 2016. Sodha is also involved in unlawful activities,” Mothaliya said, adding, “Prima facie, the accused created an atmosphere wherein the complainant had to pay the extortion money. However, it is also to be investigated as to why the complainant agreed to pay Rs 3.75 crore for an areca nut consignment whose value was only Rs 1 crore.”