BARGARH: Bargarh police on Tuesday arrested three constables and an accomplice for extorting Rs 4.51 lakh from a businessman of Paikmal in the district. Police also seized the amount from the accused.
The constables are Saroj Seth (40) and Bipin Bihari Bedbak (52), both from Bargarh town and Sadananda Pradhan alias Papu (40) of Jhenganadehi under Paikmal police limits. Police also arrested another man, Jay Prakash Gupta from Padampur.
Sources said on August 26, a businessman Nandalal Prasad (42) was going from Padampur to Sambalpur in a bus from where he was to board a train to Kolkata when the constables of a PCR van picked him up from the bus at Bhatli Chowk in Bargarh town. They took Nandalal to Sadar police station on the pretext of inquiry and later intimidated him and took away the cash.
After release, Nandalal lodged a police complaint on Monday night. Bargarh SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo said Jay Prakash had old rivalry with Nandalal. On August 26, Jaya Prakash informed a constable of Sadar police station that Nandalal was going to Bargarh with a huge amount of cash and he had a Maoist case in his name.
Acting on the tip-off, constables informed PCR whose constable Saroj Seth brought Nandalal to Sadar police station where they threatened to falsely implicate him in Maoist case if he did not give the money. Accordingly, Nandalal handed over the money to constables, he said. The SP said the three constables have been arrested. The cash has been handed over to Nandalal, he added.