Click to play videoNew Delhi/ Panipat: The Haryana special task force (STF) is supposed to fight terrorists and serious crime, so it hurts the state when the team’s members were caught on camera robbing a stockbroker in Panipat.
Seven STF men, dressed in plainclothes, struck twice on March 11. They first allegedly looted Rs 6 lakh from a stockbroker after tying him up. They then tried to extort Rs 10 lakh from jeweller V K Malhotra, claiming to be members of the Haryana vigilance department.
Malhotra gave the STF men Rs one lakh and asked them to collect the remaining amount after 30 minutes.
When one of the STF men returned, Malhotra told him that he had called the police and would pay up before them. The STF man slipped out after saying that he was going to call other members of his team but did not return. Malhotra used the security camera in his office to record the conversation with the STF team.
The Haryana Police has identified one of the extortionists as Constable Jagbir Singh, who served with the Panipat police before joining the STF.
CNN-IBN correspondent Jyoti Kamal reports the Haryana government has disbanded the STF, which comprised of 20 members and was formed in 2007 to deal with cases of terrorism, Naxalism and other serious crime. Newspaper reports quoting unnamed sources said Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) in the state have been instructed to impound arms and vehicles issued to STF officials.
Rajinder Singh, the SSP of Panipat, confirmed STF men were involved in the extortion attempt.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.