Hefty challans, worth more than Rs 30,000, issued against commercial vehicles for violating pollution and traffic norms, allegedly cleared for a paltry sum of Rs 200 using links in the Delhi Traffic Police; different gangs targeting drivers in different districts of the Capital; and the case unravelling after some women traffic police personnel, in complaints to senior officers, alleged attempts of blackmail — this is what the investigation into a massive syndicate, selling fake stickers to commercial vehicles to bypass no-entry bans across the Capital, has revealed, according to officers privy to the probe details.
The racket operated for nearly 15 years, sources in the Delhi Police said, and the accused claimed that they blackmailed traffic police officers with purported clips showing them taking bribes. Among the latest victims of the kingpin, Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, was a traffic sub-inspector, who allegedly paid him Rs 1.5 lakh for not leaking a video recorded by a driver. Three such gangs — that were part of the racket — have been busted this week, with the arrest of eight persons.
“The accused sold the stickers to drivers of commercial vehicles with the guarantee that no challan would be issued against their vehicle. However, in case the traffic officer concerned didn’t comply, the gangs guaranteed that they would pay the challans afterwards. They would then collect the challans, sometimes worth Rs 30,000 each or more, use their connections with traffic police officers and clear them for Rs 100-Rs 200 at Lok Adalats,” an officer, privy to the details of the probe, claimed.
The gangs, led by main accused Raju and Jeeshan Ali, operated in different parts of the city. The drivers in the Trans-Yamuna region were handled by Raju, West Delhi was under Jeeshan and Outer Delhi came under Rinku Rana, another key accused. The syndicate was set up after Raju allegedly promised some traffic police officers a monthly bribe, sources said.
“The gang allegedly told the traffic personnel in the area about the colour of the stickers that the vehicles — that had to be given clear access — would sport. In exchange for a commission, they would allegedly let the vehicles pass. If some officers didn’t comply, drivers were ordered to offer them bribes and then record them. Once they realised that traffic cops could be threatened with this trick, the gang stopped giving them commission and resorted to blackmail,” a police officer said.
Sources said Raju started extorting money from the traffic policemen, with an officer allegedly saying that he made them sit on their knees and beg them not to leak their videos.
However, Raju pushed his luck after he allegedly demanded sexual favors from women traffic personnel after recording them, an officer said. The personnel allegedly complained to senior officers, prompting the transfer of at least 14 cases against the gangs to the Crime Branch.
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Police said Raju and Jeeshan were leading the first two crime syndicates that exploited transporters and government officers through systematic extortion. As part of the syndicates, three associates of Jeeshan — Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Dilip Kumar and Dina Nath Chaudhary — responsible for field operations and sticker distribution, were arrested. “The probe revealed that the accused ran parallel systems — one selling fake stickers to commercial vehicles for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per month, and another extorting money from traffic police personnel by fabricating videos of them performing their duties,” DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav had said.
The third gang was busted on Thursday, with the arrest of main handler Rinku Rana (38), and Sonu Sharma (33), from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar. Sharma, an officer said, was operating a WhatsApp group where he gave real-time alerts to drivers about the possible routes and checkpoints — where rules could be bypassed — after he was tipped off by traffic police personnel.
Another member of Raju’s gang, involved in at least two cases of extortion with him, has also been arrested. Police said that he was the link between officers and the transporters, and a key middle man for Raju.
“The investigation revealed that the accused were actively involved in running parallel systems — one selling fake stickers to commercial vehicles for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per month, and another extorting money from traffic police personnel by fabricating videos of them performing their duties” DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.
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A case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) has been registered against Raju for leading a crime network operational since 2015, said police.
