BHOPAL: While Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police probing the alleged high profile honey-trap racket in Madhya Pradesh continues its investigations into the case, a high-ranked IPS officer has demanded that the supervision of the SIT be carried out by a DG-rank official who is not under the control of state police headquarters.
Special DG (STF and Cyber Cell) in MP Police, the 1986 batch IPS officer Purushottam Sharma returned from Kerala on Saturday, after attending an international conference on cybercrime and interacted with journalists at the state police cyber cell headquarters in Bhopal.
A day after he raised concerns over a rented flat in Ghaziabad being linked to the honey-trap racket, the Special DG said “in my individual capacity my opinion is that right since it was constituted the SIT has been plagued by controversy. First it was headed by IG-CID, then an ADG-rank officer was made its head and subsequently, its members too were changed. Subsequently, the flat housing the guest house of cyber cell was linked to the honey-trap.”
"I personally believe that in the wake of these developments, the position of the state DGP becomes untenable and he lands in a slight controversy. Owing to this I firmly believe that in the wake of such controversies, it’s all in the fairness of justice that supervision of the SIT is carried out by a DG-rank official who is not under the control of the state PHQ. Secondly, I also personally believe that with cyber cell and STF operations being very sensitive in nature, their location-specific details (like where they stay during special operations) shouldn’t be made public, as its ramifications could be serious, Sharma added.
Importantly, on Friday, Sharma, who heads the special police operations apparatus in Madhya Pradesh, had raised objections about unconfirmed media reports linking a rented flat in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) to the recently busted high-profile alleged honey-trap racket.
He had also expressed concern over the state DGP VK Singh (1984 batch IPS officer) reportedly making statements in media about the flat having been rented sans proper departmental approval and ordering it to be immediately vacated.
Detailing about the rented flat in Ghaziabad which has triggered the controversy, Sharma had said, the flat has been taken on rent only after information about it was intimated to the MP police top brass. "Also, how can a flat that has been hired just six-seven days back for the purpose of rendering safe house/guest house facilities to STF/Cyber Cell constables and head constables who go for special operations in NCR and adjoining areas, be linked to the honey trap racket.”
Money earned by racket-operatives and their foreign trips under scanner
Meanwhile, two of the accused women operatives of the racket who were arrested on September 18 night were brought under police custody to Bhopal in connection with ongoing SIT probe. Sources privy to investigations confided that the accused women could also be taken to their native Sagar and Chhatarpur districts for further probe.
Also, as part of the ongoing probe, the SIT is now zeroing on tracking the trail of money allegedly earned by the honey-trap operatives as well as the foreign trips made by them in the last few years. Importantly one of the key operatives of the racket has made trips to Nepal, Dubai and a European country and the trip to Nepal saw her accompany a former MP minister.