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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Sacked cop among 4 to face trial in bizman's kidnapping case
A local court on Wednesday framed charges against four accused, including a dismissed sub inspector of the Chandigarh police, Naveen Kumar Phogat, in a three-year-old case of kidnapping and dacoity. The accused, Vajinder, Virender, Naveen Kumar Phogat, and Shiv Kumar, were booked for allegedly kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman and extorting ₹1.01 crore from him. The FIR was registered in August 2023, at Chandigarh's Sector 39 police station. The court of additional district and sessions judge Ashwani Kumar, after going through the chargesheet filed against the accused, ordered a prima facie case punishable under Sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting a person with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine them), 367 (kidnapping or abducting someone with the intent to subject them to grievous hurt), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation in order to commit extortion), 397 (robbery or dacoity), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) read with section 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. 'The accused have been charge-sheeted accordingly. They have pleaded not guilty to the charge and claimed trial,' said the court, while ordering the matter to be listed for July 11. Phogat, who was recruited in Chandigarh Police as an assistant sub-inspector in 2012, has been embroiled in other controversies too. He was accused of raping a 25-year-old Mumbai-based model at a hotel in Chandigarh's Industrial Area in June 2018. He was dismissed from service on then SSP Nilambari Jagdale's orders in October 2018. But after the complainant failed to identify him in court and the prosecution failed to prove the allegations, he was acquitted by a local court on February 28, 2022. He was then reinstated in the police. But just months later, he was sacked again after Bathinda-based businessman Sanjay Goyal alleged that he was kidnapped and robbed of ₹1.01 crore by Phogat, then the additional SHO at Sector 39 police station, and other police personnel on August 4, 2023. The businessman had alleged that he was threatened of implication in cases of heroin smuggling and Arms Act if he reported the matter.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Kidnapping of Bathinda-based bizman: Dismissed Sub Inspector among 4 to face trial
Four accused, including a Chandigarh Police's dismissed Sub-Inspector Naveen Kumar Phogat, will face trial for kidnapping and dacoity, at the Chandigarh District Court. The accused — Vajinder, Virender, Naveen Kumar Phogat, and Shiv Kumar — have been booked for allegedly kidnapping a Bathinda-based businessman and extorting Rs 1.01 crore from him. The FIR was registered in August 2023 at Sector 39 police station, Chandigarh. The court of Ashwani Kumar, Additional District and Sessions Judge, after going through the chargesheet filed against the accused by the police, and its accompanied documents, said that 'a prima facie case punishable under Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting a person with the intent to secretly and wrongfully confine them), 367 (kidnapping or abducting someone with the intent to subject them to grievous hurt), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation in order to commit extortion), 397 (robbery or dacoity), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation) read with section 120 b (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. 'Accused have been charge-sheeted accordingly. They have pleaded not guilty to the charge and claimed trial,' said the court, while ordering the matter to be listed for July 11. Among other accused, Phogat, who was recruited in Chandigarh Police as an assistant sub-inspector in 2012, has been embroiled in controversies earlier as well. He was accused of raping a 25-year-old Mumbai-based model at a hotel in Chandigarh's Industrial Area in June 2018. He was dismissed from service on the then SSP Nilambari Jagdale's orders in October 2018. But after the complainant failed to identify him in court and the prosecution also could not prove the allegations, he was acquitted by a local court in February 28, 2022. He was then reinstated in the police. In the ongoing case, Bathinda-based businessman Sanjay Goyal had alleged to the police that he was kidnapped and robbed of Rs 1.01 crore by Phogat, who was then additional SHO at Sector 39 police station, and other police personnel on August 4, and was threatened to be falsely implicated in cases of heroin smuggling and under the Arms Act if he reported the matter.
Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
We woke up in panic, can sleep peacefully now: Punjab residents welcome ceasefire
After two sleepless nights marred with blackouts and drone attacks, Punjab finally breathed a sigh of relief with India and Pakistan agreeing to a ceasefire on Saturday. Since Indian Army's 'Op Sindoor' early on Wednesday, Punjab, both its bustling cities and border towns, was in the thick of the storm. The state, which shares over 500 km of its border with Pakistan had started witnessing a storm of drone attacks on Thursday night and since then the residents lived in fear amid blackouts. Heera Sodhi, former Punjab State Information Commissioner and a resident from Ferozepur, said, 'Punjab vaste bhot vadiya hoya… (It is a very good thing for Punjab…). We suffer the most as we are a border state. But I'm happy that India took a strong and aggressive stand against terrorism and clearly sent out the message that we will not tolerate nonsense anymore. Though most drones were neutralised, on Friday night, three people were injured in Ferozepur.' In Ferozepur's Tindiwala, the last village on the zero line, Parkash Singh was crying tears of joy. 'Aj khushi di gal hai… (Today is a matter of happiness). Our families had to be split because of the war-like situation. We had sent women and children to our relatives, now we will get them back tomorrow. Jung kisse da vi bhala nahi kardi… jung sade te thopi jaandi hai… (War never benefits anyone… war is always forced upon us as we live on the border),' he says, adding that he has now decided to build a house far away from the border. In Ludhiana, Pankaj Sharma, president of Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings, says he felt proud of the Indian Army but also sighed relief. 'The way India managed the crisis is commendable. A prolonged war would have severely impacted the economy. We salute our PM for giving the armed forces a free hand and ensuring a decisive victory.' Badish Jindal, president of All Industries and Trade Forum, says that in the last 3 days, many migrant workers left Ludhiana fearing war. 'But now, with the ceasefire, I believe they will return. If the war had continued, Punjab's industry would have collapsed. We were already feeling the pressure due to the exodus of the workforce,' he says. Barnala-based government teacher Nirmal Singh Thikriwala reflected on the collective psyche. 'Saturday morning, we woke up panicked. Thank God, we can now sleep peacefully. But I'm disappointed that instead of understanding the hardships of our armed forces, many people were making reels and memes of the situation,' he says. Bathinda-based Dr Vittul K Gupta congratulated the Indian Army for teaching Pakistan a lesson by destroying their terror camps. Meanwhile, officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj welcomed the ceasefire. 'From the beginning, I have believed that war should not break out between the two nations,' he said, adding that he had performed Ardas before Guru Sahib at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Sri Anandpur Sahib on Friday. Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar, while welcoming the ceasefire, said, 'India has made it clear that aiding and abetting terrorism will not be tolerated. Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, India reaffirmed its commitment to global peace while delivering a strong message that cross-border terrorism is unacceptable.' He also proposed a special economic package for Punjab to compensate for disruption to trade and business. 'Given Punjab's frontline position, we've always borne the brunt of such conflicts—be it in terms of life or livelihoods. This package is essential to help us recover,' he said, adding that the proposal was supported by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. As calm returns to Punjab, the state stands both wounded and resilient—grateful for peace, but painfully aware of the cost it so often bears for being on the frontline.
