The district court here on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against suspended additional superintendent of police LokeshSonwal after hearing an application filed by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB). The ACB requested the court to issue a warrant against Sonwal as the suspended officer had evaded arrest despite several attempts to locate him since the last one month. Sonwal has been absconded since January 4, a day after the arrest of suspended IPS Rajesh Meena in a corruption case, in which Sonwal is also an accused.
In the meantime, Rajesh Meena and middleman Ramdev Thathera were produced in court on Wednesday after their judicial custody period expired. The court extended the judicial custody of both the accused for 14 more days and ordered for producing them on February 27.
The ACB moved an application in court for a warrant against Sonwal stating that it had tried several times to arrest him, including sending teams to other states like New Delhi and Mumbai, but in vain. After hearing the application, the court accepted the plea of ACB and issued arrest warrant.
According to advocates, the court issued a standing warrant and Sonwal can be arrested from anywhere in the country by any state police concerned. The Rajasthan police has already issued summons to Sonwal which was pasted on the gate of his government house in Ajmer. Sources said Sonwal may possibly have hideouts in Dausa, his native place, or in Jaipur and New Delhi. “We had tried everywhere, but he managed to get past our dragnet,” an official said.
The FIR by ACB in the case, which charged the police officers with running monthly collection corruption racket, stated that Ramdev, a middleman, came to Ajmer from Jodhpur by state transport bus on January 2 and went first to the resident of Sonwal. “At about 12 noon Sonwal, took Ramdev from his residence in government vehicle to his office. He came out a few times from his chamber in district police headquarters and met four to five police inspectors waiting outside. The inspectors handed over some envelopes to Ramdev. Sonwal then came out from his office and along with Ramdev went to his residence in a police jeep,” said the FIR
The FIR further stated that Ramdev came out of Sonwal’s residence in the officer’s government vehicle at about 3.40 in afternoon and went straight to the residence of Meena.
“All inspectors brought two envelopes each containing monthly collection money at Sonwal’s place. They give these envelopes to me which I distribute to Sonwal and then to Meena,” the statement of Ramdev recorded in FIR of ACB read.
The ACB charged Rajesh Meena, Ramdev, Lokesh Sonwal and other police officials under sections 7,8, 9, 10, 12, 13 (1) A D with 13 (2) 14 A B of Anti Corruption Act and also 120B of the IPC. Sonwal fled just after the day of arrest of Meena.
Meanwhile, sources said Sonwal is preparing to move an anticipatory bail plea claiming that he was not involved in the case but framed by the lobby of officials. “Sonwal is waiting for the ACB to move the chargesheet against Meena and Ramdev and after that he will file the application,” the source said.
Under the law, ACB has to file chargesheet within 60 days of arrest of Meena and Ramdev. “In the tainted IPS officer Ajay Singh’s case, the ACB moved the chargesheet after the time limit and Singh got the benefit of getting bail from the high court. Sonwal may be looking to get advantage of that precedence,” an advocate said.
src: TOI