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New SIT set up to investigate Daler Mehndi case
Patiala, Nov 12: A four-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) was reconstituted today a week after the probe against Punjabi pop singer Daler Mahendi for alleged human trafficking got dismantled with the transfer of at least five police officers.
Patiala, Nov 12: A four-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) was reconstituted today a week after the probe against Punjabi pop singer Daler Mahendi for alleged human trafficking got dismantled with the transfer of at least five police officers.
Amidst allegations that police were trying to derail investigation, the new district police chief announced the setting up of the SIT, saying it would probe the Mehndi case as an ''economic offence''.
Even as Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had, on Sunday, denied any clandestine deal to hush up the case by slowing down its investigation, opposition leader Parkash Singh Badal today alleged ''mamla garbar hain''(there is something fishy), echoing the popular Punjabi song sung by noted singer Gurdas Mann. Meanwhile, additional Chief Judicial Magistrate P S Dhanoa today extended the judicial remand of Shamsher Singh Shera till November 27. Shera, a brother of Daler Mehndi, is the lone accused arrested in the case so far, while police had secured non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against ten other accused, including Daler Mahendi.
The NBWs are returnable on November 17. Daler's pre-arrest bail plea is listed for hearing tomorrow in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
SSP A S Rai, while announcing the formation of new SIT at a media conference here today, said police parties had been sent to nab all ten accused against whom NBWs had been issued by the court of Dhanoa. Asked if the police would move the court to get the NBWs renewed in case no accused was arrested by the deadline, Rai quipped,'' let the time come for it''. He said SP (city) R L Monga has again been made incharge of the reconstituted SIT, while DSP (rural) Bhupinder Singh retained as its member. The remaining two members are Sadar Police Station SHO Amarjit Singh and CIA inspector Sukhdev Singh Virk. These two inspectors have come in place of those transferred last week. Three other officers earlier associated with the investigation, however, stood transferred and have been kept away from the new SIT.
The SSP said besides investigating the Daler Mehndi case, new SIT would probe all cases of economic offences, adding preliminary inquiry into 35 complaints received by police against the singer and his associates would be held first before proceeding with in depth investigation. But Rai warned if any complaint was found false, a case under Section 180 Cr P C would be registered against the complainant. Rai said the crime branch of Punjab Police has requested CBI's Interpol division to get verified the documents submitted by Daler Mehndi to support his innocence in the case. The singer, on October 28, had submitted five-year record of his visits abroad in a bid to prove that only genuine people had travelled along with him as members of his musical troupes abroad for giving performances.
The case against Daler Mehndi, his brother and three others was registered on October 04 on the complainant of one Bakhshish Singh, who alleged he had been duped of over Rs 12 lakh by the singer and his associates in the pretext of taking his son to United States as member of Daler's musical troupe.
Bureau Report
Even as Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had, on Sunday, denied any clandestine deal to hush up the case by slowing down its investigation, opposition leader Parkash Singh Badal today alleged ''mamla garbar hain''(there is something fishy), echoing the popular Punjabi song sung by noted singer Gurdas Mann. Meanwhile, additional Chief Judicial Magistrate P S Dhanoa today extended the judicial remand of Shamsher Singh Shera till November 27. Shera, a brother of Daler Mehndi, is the lone accused arrested in the case so far, while police had secured non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against ten other accused, including Daler Mahendi.
The NBWs are returnable on November 17. Daler's pre-arrest bail plea is listed for hearing tomorrow in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
SSP A S Rai, while announcing the formation of new SIT at a media conference here today, said police parties had been sent to nab all ten accused against whom NBWs had been issued by the court of Dhanoa. Asked if the police would move the court to get the NBWs renewed in case no accused was arrested by the deadline, Rai quipped,'' let the time come for it''. He said SP (city) R L Monga has again been made incharge of the reconstituted SIT, while DSP (rural) Bhupinder Singh retained as its member. The remaining two members are Sadar Police Station SHO Amarjit Singh and CIA inspector Sukhdev Singh Virk. These two inspectors have come in place of those transferred last week. Three other officers earlier associated with the investigation, however, stood transferred and have been kept away from the new SIT.
The SSP said besides investigating the Daler Mehndi case, new SIT would probe all cases of economic offences, adding preliminary inquiry into 35 complaints received by police against the singer and his associates would be held first before proceeding with in depth investigation. But Rai warned if any complaint was found false, a case under Section 180 Cr P C would be registered against the complainant. Rai said the crime branch of Punjab Police has requested CBI's Interpol division to get verified the documents submitted by Daler Mehndi to support his innocence in the case. The singer, on October 28, had submitted five-year record of his visits abroad in a bid to prove that only genuine people had travelled along with him as members of his musical troupes abroad for giving performances.
The case against Daler Mehndi, his brother and three others was registered on October 04 on the complainant of one Bakhshish Singh, who alleged he had been duped of over Rs 12 lakh by the singer and his associates in the pretext of taking his son to United States as member of Daler's musical troupe.
Bureau Report