Moga Sex Scam
Probe indicates nexus between cops, girls
Innocent persons trapped to extract money
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 11
Less than three months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court observed that the Moga sex scam was apparently "nothing less than the Jammu sex scandal", investigations in the matter indicate a nexus between the police top brass and the girls for framing innocent persons in rape cases to extract money.
The modus operandi that has emerged from the investigations is that senior police functionaries after booking innocent persons accepted money, part of which was paid to the girls.
Later, one of the girls would not identify the accused. Or, the police after completion of legal formalities would give the accused a clean chit.
A senior police officer, whose name had surfaced during the hearing of the matter before the High Court, also finds mention in the statements of witnesses.
The "witnesses", including two advocates, have categorically stated that money was demanded and passed on directly or indirectly to the girls and the senior police functionary for letting the accused off the hook.
An advocate-cum-witness has asserted that he was engaged as a counsel by an accused. A friend of the accused said he was innocent and should be helped out; adding that another accused got his name dropped by giving Rs 3 lakh to the senior police officer.
The advocate also claimed that he requested another advocate to approach the police officer for getting the name of the accused struck off.
The other advocate met the police officer and found that the cop was demanding Rs 4.5 lakhs. The money was arranged through the friend of the accused.
As per the directions of the senior police officer, a subordinate cop submitted an application on May 12, 2007, to the chief judicial magistrate, Moga, for the identification of the accused and the same was allowed the same day.
The advocate has concluded the sequence of events by saying the identification parade was conducted on May 19, 2007, where one of the girls did not identify the accused. He was declared innocent and shown in Column number two.
In another statement, the other advocate has claimed that the first lawyer approached him with a request to help the accused.
The advocate added he had friendly relations with the police officer and was sure he could help the accused. He talked to the senior police officer who had demanded Rs 4.5 lakhs for removing the name of the accused from the case.
He has added that the first lawyer gave him the amount in two instalments on May 7, 2007 and May 9, 2007 and got an application moved from the wife of the accused to the top cop.
After that on May 9, 2007, he went to the officer’s house at Moga and handed over the money personally to him by putting the same in an envelope. The top cop returned Rs 1.5 lakhs and asked him to give the amount to one of the girls. He kept the remaining amount of Rs 3 lakh. The money was handed over the next day. After some days, the police discharged the accused from this case.
He has also given details of another matter in which the officer called him to his house, where another senior police functionary was also present. In that matter, the top cop, subsequently, gave Rs 3 lakh to him for handing it over to one of the girls. Three persons were, later on, discharged after obtaining legal opinion in the matter.
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