Cops nab namesake, extort Rs 6 lakh; SHO among 7 suspended in B’shahr

Meerut: A case of mistaken identity has exposed alleged police misconduct in Bulandshahr, where seven policemen, including the SHO of Sikandrabad police station, were suspended for allegedly detaining a man and extorting Rs 6 lakh from his family. A head constable from Ghaziabad Police Lines, Vineet Kumar, is absconding.Mohd Salman, a resident of Sikandrabad, was allegedly picked up on April 30 from the Gulawathi toll plaza by policemen in plain clothes and taken to the police station, where he was illegally detained. According to the complaint, the policemen initially demanded Rs 20 lakh for his release, which was later settled at Rs 6 lakh.A police officer, on condition of anonymity, said, “The team was acting on a tip-off about a history-sheeter named Salman involved in illegal arms trade, but detained the wrong person due to identical names and locality.”The matter came to light after the victim approached Meerut DIG Kalanidhi Naithani, prompting an inquiry. CCTV footage from the toll plaza and police station allegedly confirmed the involvement of the accused personnel. The probe revealed that Vineet Kumar, a relative of SHO Neeraj Malik, had taken leave and was allegedly involved in the operation.Following the inquiry by CO Bhaskar Kumar Mishra, action was taken against SHO Neeraj Malik, SSI Arun Kumar, outpost in-charge Amit Kumar, head constable Vineet Kumar, and constables Pravesh Bansla, Sumit and Vikul Kumar. Further investigation is underway.