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Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 28: FOR the past four days, the Delhi Police have been conveniently omitting one item from its crime bulletins released to the media: An Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP was arrested for forgery and accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh on Thursday.
The ACP, Mahinderjeet Singh Mattoo, was arrested following a complaint filed by US Embassy officials at Chanakyapuri Police Station. He was produced in the Patiala House Courts next day. A city Magistrate rejected his bail application and remanded him to judicial custody.
But even today, officials at Chankayapuri Police Station refused to elaborate on the incident saying they were bound by orders from the Deputy Commissioner of Police New Delhi T.N. Mohan. The latter could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
Joint Commissioner of Police Armed Police R.K. Niyogi, however, confirmed the incident. He also confirmed that Mattoo has been arrested.
According to sources, Mattoo, who is posted with the ninth battalion of the Delhi Armed Police, had taken Rs 2 lakh from a woman after promising to get her a visa from the US Embassy. The woman8217;s husband works in the US.
Mattoo reportedly misled the woman; he wanted to use this opportunity to get a visa for his younger brother as well. He told her that his younger Amarjeet Singh Mattoo would pose as her husband, when she would meet the Embassy officials. She protested, but Mattoo reportedly said there was no other way to procure a visa.
Says a senior police official, requesting anonymity: 8220;He asked her to mention her real husband as her relative. The pretext that she and Amarjeet would use to get the visa would be that they were visiting the relative.8221;
But US Embassy Officials detected the fraud and contacted the Chanakyapuri Police. The woman and Amarjeet were arrested on the spot. The ACP who was waiting outside the embassy compound was was also arrested when the police ascertained his role. They released the woman after she narrated her ordeal.
They later found that Amarjeet was carrying a fake passport. His application forms seeking a visa had also been forged.
Sources add that this is not the first time that Mahinderjeet Singh has abused his official position, though he has not been arrested earlier. He had worked as SHO IGI Aiprort earlier and a couple of departmental inquires are pending against him.
