Three cops booked for extorting 7L from principal using POCSO threat

Pune: In a serious case of alleged misconduct within the force, Bund Garden Police on Thursday registered an offence of extortion and criminal intimidation against a sub-inspector, a woman police constable and a male constable for allegedly threatening a college principal and extorting Rs 7 lakh from him.The incident took place in July last year at an engineering diploma college located on Bund Garden Road, but surfaced only earlier this week. Following preliminary findings, the probe has now been handed over to the Pune City Crime Branch for a detailed investigation. The accused sub-inspector is currently posted with the Pune Cyber Police, while the two constables are attached to the Shivajinagar Police Station.According to the crime branch investigation, the trio allegedly threatened to register a case against the college principal under the provisions of the POCSO Act. They also claimed they would arrest him in the case. Subsequently, they extorted Rs 7 lakh from him after promising not to take action.The incident came to light after the parents of a student approached Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. Police said the student had initially approached the accused personnel seeking help for admission to the college. The trio allegedly took money from her on the assurance of securing admission but failed to do so.When the student persisted, the accused allegedly asked her to file a fabricated complaint against the principal. Instead of registering it formally, they used the application to threaten him and extract money.Unaware of the alleged extortion, the student continued to contact the personnel, who eventually blocked her calls. Eventually, she informed her parents, and asked them to escalate the matter to the police commissioner.Notably, the woman constable involved is also a social media personality with around 40,000 followers and is known for posting reels and associating with members of the film industry.