CBI court sentences former Punjab SSP, ex-SP to 5 years in jail in 2007 Moga sex scandal case

Chandigarh: A special CBI court in Punjab's Mohali on Monday sentenced four former police officers including the then senior superintendent of police to varying jail terms up to eight years in the sensational 2007 Moga sex scandal case.

Former Moga SSP Devinder Singh Garcha and the then superintendent of police (headquarters) Paramdip Singh Sandhu have been sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment. Besides, a fine of Rs 2 lakh each has also been imposed on them.

The other two officers, the then station house officer of Moga City police station Rakesh Kumar and ex-inspector Amarjit Singh, have been awarded eight years and six-and-a-half-year imprisonment respectively in the case.

The court of special CBI judge Rakesh Gupta also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on the former SHO and Rs 2.50 lakh on the ex-inspector.

The court had convicted the four former police officials under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act on March 29. Former Moga City police station SHO Rakesh Kumar was also convicted under section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code.

The case stems from accusations levelled against certain police officials for implicating rich people including businessmen in false sexual abuse cases to extort money from them in Moga.

The case came to the fore in June 2007 after victim Ranjit Singh of Moga complained to the then additional director general of police that ex-SHO Amarjit Singh demanded money and threatened to frame him in a rape case if the payment was not made.

Following a probe, the case was registered against Amarjit Singh and two females -- Manjit Kaur and a minor girl.

Later, on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which registered the FIR in December, 2007.

The CBI had booked Garcha, Sandhu, Raman Kumar, Amarjit Singh, Barjinder Singh, the son of a former Akali minister, Sukhraj Singh and a few others.

The investigation found that the accused abused their official positions by implicating innocent individuals in false sexual abuse cases to extort money for excluding their names.

The court acquitted Barjinder Singh and Sukhraj Singh in the case.