Pramesh S Jain
Ballari SP Gunman Among Three Arrested for Allegedly Extorting Rs.3 Lakh from Rice Smugglers,Three persons, including the gunman of Ballari SP,have been arrested for allegedly extorting Rs.3 lakh from illegal rice smugglers in Ballari.
Senior officer told reporters that a rice smuggler identified as Sharabhayya lodged a complaint at the Moka police station alleging that SP gunman Devaraj and his associates demanded money while posing as members of the SP squad.
The complaint stated that when two lorries loaded with ration rice were heading towards Andhra Pradesh,the accused intercepted the vehicles and allegedly demanded Rs.5 lakh,threatening to seize the lorries and send the smugglers to jail if the money was not paid.
The accused later allegedly settled for Rs.3 lakh and collected the amount,the complaint added.
Police said several cases related to illegal ration rice smuggling have already been registered in the district and investigations are continuing.
During the probe,it was allegedly confirmed that gunman Devaraj had extorted money in the name of the SP squad.
Following this,police arrested Devaraj and two others. Further investigation is underway under the supervision of SP Dr.Suman D Pennekar.
