GUWAHATI: “The police in Assam need to change their character.”

This was stated by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while reacting to the detention of seven cops in an alleged extortion case.

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“Police need to change their character. They cannot continue with their previous habits of making unwarranted demands to the general public,” said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Notably, the CID of the Assam police have detained seven police personnel at its head office at Ulubari in Guwahati, Assam over an alleged extortion-related case.

All the officials as per a source were posted in the Bajali district.

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The investigation, which began in early August following a complaint by a supari trader led to the detention of the police officials.

Also read: Assam: CID registers case against seven cops including DSP for extortion in Bajali

A criminal case was registered on August 31 by the CID, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused police officials.

The accused were brought to the CID for questioning and are expected to be arrested as well.

Assam DGP GP Singh said that to address these serious allegations, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption was tasked with initiating a trap operation, although initial attempts proved unsuccessful as the implicated officers exercised caution.

He added that subsequent investigation indicated that the complaint had a prima facie basis. Based on the findings, a CID PS case was registered under various sections.

The sections involved in the case were 120B (criminal conspiracy), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 448 (house trespass), 294 (obscene acts and songs), 379 (theft), 387 (extortion), 427 (mischief causing damage), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 307 (attempt to murder).

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The police officials brought to the CID office are DSP (HQ) Puskal Gogoi, SI Anup Jyoti Patiri (Officer-in-Charge, Patacharkuchi Police Station), SI Debajit Giri, ASI Sasanka Das and Constable Injamamul Hassan along with home guards Deepjoy Roy and Nabir Ahmed.

Of them, Injamamul Hassan is the Personal Security Officer (PSO) of former Bajali ASP (HQ) Gayatri Sonowal.

The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 3 crore from a supari trader. The police officials had also threatened to “encounter” the trader while demanding the money.

The trader had reportedly paid them Rs 10 lakh in cash. The cops also demanded him to buy them three luxury vehicles.

However, since the cops continued to threaten him, the trader approached higher officials and the anti-corruption bureau.

Based on the complaint, they were brought to the CID office for further proceeding into the case.

It may be mentioned that of the accused police officials, the DSP, Pushkal Gogoi is among the accused in the APSC cash-for-job scam.