A Special Task Force of the Uttarakhand Police arrested a Congress leader and three policemen in connection with a staged robbery of cash from a property dealer in Dehradun on Tuesday night. The accused were produced before the district court on Wednesday from where they were sent to 14-days judicial custody.
Inspector Dinesh Negi, driver Himanshu Upadhyaya, constable Manoj Adhikari and Congress leader Anupam Sharma were arrested. The initial information indicates that Congress leader Anupam Sharma was the mastermind behind the loot in which real-life policemen played the role of robbers. After delivering the payment to property dealer Anurodh Panwar on 4 April at a Dehradun hotel, Anupam informed his close friends in Uttarakhand Police.
According to the plan, inspector Dinesh Negi, driver Himanshu Upadhyaya and constable Manoj Adhikari rushed to the site and tracked the property dealer near Madhuban Hotel and conducted a check of his vehicle during which they found the money delivered by Sharma. The cops threatened Panwar of arresting him under various criminal offences and seized the money. Everything went according to the plan and the culprits began to celebrate as they thought that the businessman will never muster the courage to lodge a police complaint about the looted money.
But Panwar approached the police. At first, the police declined to take any action as the case appeared flimsy. Later, the cops gathered CCTV footage from near Madhuban Hotel and other locations and they were shocked by the findings. The involvement of the police personnel has caused a huge embarrassment to the force.
A Special Investigation Team was handed over the case last week and a probe was initiated. The accused were nabbed on the basis of digital evidence, CCTV footage, call details and other exhibits.