Following the crackdown on extortion at the UP-Bihar border in Ballia, the suspended police chief Panne Lal, station in-charge Rajesh Kumar Prabhakar, and five other policemen have disappeared. The police are yet to ascertain their whereabouts. The investigation has been assigned to ASP Subham Agrawal of Azamgarh, who has arrived in Ballia to begin inquiries.
Post the crackdown in Ballia, five policemen, including the chief, are on the run. It is believed that if the suspended chief does not surrender, further action will be taken against him. His room, potentially holding significant evidence, has been sealed. A red diary documenting all extortion activities is of particular interest.
According to sources, DIG PRO Sushil Kumar's complaint has led to cases being registered against police chief Panne Lal, station in-charge Rajesh Kumar Prabhakar, and officers Satish Gupta, Hari Dayal, Balram Singh, Deepak Mishra, and Vishnu Yadav.
Five Policemen on the Run
Satish Gupta and Hari Dayal have been apprehended, while the others remain at large, having switched off their phones to evade surveillance.
Panne Lal, originally from Gorakhpur, was notorious for his extortion activities while posted in his home district. It is believed that his high-level connections secured him choice postings at stations with lucrative illicit earnings. He was often stationed where he could generate significant black money, landing desirable assignments.
Panne Lal's Trusted Policemen at the Checkpost
At the Bharouli police checkpost, only those close to Panne Lal were assigned duty. These select officers were responsible for the extortion operations.
In addition to this, a few handpicked local individuals, protected by the police, halted trucks to extort money. The policemen posted there often went straight home instead of reporting to the station, detaching themselves from formal duties.
According to ADG Piyush Mordia of Varanasi Zone, the policemen caught in the DIG's raid at the Bihar-UP border checkpost have been sent to jail, and further investigation is underway with sealed rooms and ongoing inquiries.
New Policemen Deployed at the Station
Bharouli now has new assignments, with some officers already joining and more expected soon. Continuous deployment of new policemen is ongoing. Meanwhile, complainants are not visiting the station, and the police mess remains locked.
At the checkpost notorious for extortion, trucks laden with various goods are now passing uninhibited. During this time, two policemen present were engrossed in their phones, neither stopping nor questioning anyone. According to DGP Prashant Kumar, every angle is being investigated, and efforts are being made to locate the absconding policemen. A significant crackdown will follow once their names are included in the chargesheet.
Daily Extortion of Five Lakh from Trucks
To expose this extortion racket, DIG Vaibhav Krishna and ADG of Varanasi Range disguised as helpers on a truck conducted a sting operation, revealing the involvement of policemen from Narhi station. Subsequently, two policemen and 16 agents were arrested. Accused policemen were alleged to extort ₹500 from each truck passing through, with approximately 1000 trucks crossing the border each night, resulting in daily illicit earnings of ₹5 lakh, equating to ₹1.5 crore in black money monthly.
