Court rejects anticipatory bail plea of inspector booked in extortion case filed by angadias

Vangaate, in his pre-arrest bail plea, said that he was being made a scapegoat along with other junior officers. His lawyer Ashok Saraogi claimed that the original complaint, based on which an inquiry
was conducted by the police, had named DCP Saurabh Tripathi. Tripathi, however, has not been named as an accused in the FIR. He was, however, transferred from the post after the FIR was filed.

Assistant public prosecutor Abhijeet Gondwal submitted documents including CCTV footage, claiming that Vangaate and the other accused cops were seen with the complainant angadias on two occasions. The court had perused the footage while Saraogi had claimed that the visuals did not prove that the policemen had gone beyond their duty and committed extortion. The prosecutor had also submitted that probe is still on in the case.

Additional sessions judge R M Sadrani rejected the pre-arrest bail plea. The detailed order has not been made available so far.

The Angadias association in Bhuleshwar had written a complaint to a senior police officer of the Mumbai police on December 7 alleging that a DCP had repeatedly been demanding Rs 10 lakh bribe to allow them to run their businesses. The complaint filed by L T Marg police had claimed that the policemen brought a few angadias, who are involved in transporting materials, cash and jewellery among traders, to the chowki to check their bags. It was alleged that those carrying cash were made to pay money to the police before being allowed to go.

Last week, the metropolitan magistrate rejected the pleas of two other policemen arrested in the case.