CBI books 7 Chandigarh cops for dentist’s ‘abduction’ from court

Through preliminary inquiry, CBI established that the dentist was “forcibly” taken away by four Crime Branch officials — including ASI Ajmer Singh, head constable Anil Kumar, constable Vikash Hooda and constable Subhash — from near the entry gate of the court complex on January 7, 2022

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has lodged an FIR against seven cops of Chandigarh Police’s Crime Branch, Sector 11, for the alleged abduction of a dentist from the District Courts Complex in 2022.

In August 2024, the Supreme Court had tasked the CBI with an independent probe into allegations made by dentist Mohit Dhawan that he was abducted by Chandigarh police personnel from the court complex in Sector 43 on January 7, 2022. (HT)

In August 2024, the Supreme Court had tasked the CBI with an independent probe into allegations made by dentist Mohit Dhawan that he was abducted by Chandigarh police personnel from the court complex in Sector 43 on January 7, 2022, when he went to mark his presence before a magistrate’s court in connection with a cheating case against him.

Dhawan was booked after a Nairobi national accused him of cheating her when she came to India in 2017-18 to get dental implants from his clinic.

Through preliminary inquiry, CBI established that Dhawan was “forcibly” taken away by four Crime Branch officials — including ASI Ajmer Singh, head constable Anil Kumar, constable Vikash Hooda and constable Subhash — from near the entry gate of the court complex on January 7, 2022.

CCTV footage from the court complex confirmed Dhawan’s presence at the location between 10.25 am and 10.30 am, while call detail record (CDR) analysis further corroborated his presence and the proximity of the accused officers during the incident.

The probe revealed that the said cops picked him up in a private car registered in the name of a relative of Hooda.

But in the DDR, Dhawan’s arrest was shown from Sector-43 ISBT at 6.20 pm. The arrest memo was signed by inspector Harinder Sekhon, in the presence of sub-inspector (SI) Suresh Kumar and constable Neeraj as witnesses.

Thus, CBI has registered a case under Sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting someone with intent to confine them wrongfully and secretly) and Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code against all seven accused officers.

In December 2024, inspector Sekhon was demoted to the rank of SI following a departmental inquiry into allegations of his involvement in a graft case.