Gauhati HC rejects bail of all accused, including police personnel in extortion case

Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has rejected the bail prayer of all nine accused persons, including the then Bajali Superintendent of Police Sidhartha Buragohain, arrested for their alleged involvement in an extortion case.

Justice Ajit Borthakur on Thursday after hearing the bail applications of the accused rejected their petition and directed that they will continue in judicial custody.

Besides Buragohain, the arrested include the then Additional SP Gayatri Sonowal and her husband Subhas Chander, then DSP Puskal Gogoi, policemen Debajit Giri, Sasanka Das, Deepjyoti Kalita and Nabir Ahmed along with informer Iswar Chand Baruah.

The CID had registered a case under various sections of the IPC related to criminal conspiracy, extortion, criminal intimidation, wrongful confinement, trespassing, causing hurt, and attempt to murder among others against all the accused police officials and two drivers.

The arrests were made on September one this year following a complaint received that the police personnel, all then posted in Bajali, had demanded money from some persons involved in illegal Burmese areca nut smuggling in the first week of August.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Corruption had tried to trap the policemen initially but when the plan did not succeed, the CID investigated the matter and on finding that it was true, registered a case against the accused.