PANCHKULA: Police claimed to have unearthed an extortion racket, arresting an ASI and two others on Thursday night. The ASI, however, later escaped from police custody.
Police commissioner Hanif Qureshi said the accused are Anil Bhalla, a resident of Sector 2, Narendra Khillan of Sector 10 and ASI Gurmez Singh, in-charge, police post, Sector 2. Khillan and Bhalla have been taken on police remand. Akash Bhalla, another accused, is absconding.
Qureshi said, "The gang used to trap their targets in the name of loans and extort money from them by threatening to implicate them in false cases. Cops were hand in glove with the extortionists."
Local resident Sanjeev Garg, the complainant, was lured on the promise of a loan of Rs 100 crore. The gang allegedly asked him to pay Rs 1 crore. When he refused, Anil Bhalla and Khillan in connivance with the ASI registered an FIR against him and extorted Rs 45 lakh from him,
