MP honey-trap probe SIT changed for third time in 9 days

The Madhya Pradesh government late on Tuesday night completely changed the special investigative team (SIT) probing the honey-trap case allegedly involving influential persons, including politicians, bureaucrats and top police officials.

The move has raised questions over the intention of the government regarding the probe and some see it as a move to scuttle the entire issue. The BJP, whose leaders are allegedly also involved in the case, has renewed its demand of a CBI probe into the case.

On Tuesday night, the chief of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Sanjeev Shami, who was made head of a 10-member team on September 24 to probe the case was shunted out and Special Director General (DG) Rajendra Kumar, a 1985 batch officer, was made the head of a three-member investigation team. Shami has also been removed from the ATS and placed as additional director general (ADG) of police recruitment and anti-naxal operations.

Shami had replaced senior IPS officer D. Sriniwas Verma, who was made the SIT chief when it was first constituted on September 23, within a day.

Rajendra Kumar, who was earlier the director of prosecution, was made special DG of Cyber Cell to take up the new responsibility of the probe. He will be assisted by Milind Kanaskar, who has been made ADG Cyber Cell, and Ruchi Vardhan Mishra, senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Indore.

The changes came about after a late evening meeting between chief minister Kamal Nath, chief secretary S.R. Mohanty and director general of police (DGP) V.K. Singh. The responsibilities of several senior IPS officers were also changed along with the officials involved in honey-trap case investigation.

The chief minister was reportedly unhappy over the way the case probe was going on and the fact that there was selective leak of information regarding the probe.

Sources, however, said that some statements made by outgoing SIT chief Sanjeev Shami did not go well with the government. Shami, considered an upright officer, had said in Indore that none involved in the case would be spared even if they were influential. 

With the changes, it is being surmised that the CM will directly supervise the probe into the matter.

The CM had also reportedly expressed displeasure over the open statements made by former special DG of Cyber Cell Purshottam Sharma regarding DGP V.K. Singh in the matter. Sharma had taken objection to linking of a Ghaziabad flat rented by the MP Cyber Cell with the honey-trap case and demanded that DGP Singh should not supervise the case.

The BJP has, meanwhile, renewed its demand for CBI probe into the case. Chief spokesman of the party, Deepak Vijayvargiya said the way the probe is going and the way the government is constantly changing the officials involved in the probe suggests that it is not being done in a fair and transparent manner. “From the statements of the Congress ministers and the developments, it seems that there are attempts to give a specific turn to the investigations. We, therefore, demand CBI probe into the case,” Vijayvargiya told THE WEEK.

The scandal

The scandal came to light on September 18 when the Indore police arrested six persons, including five women, after a complaint of attempt to extort Rs 3 crore from a sub-engineer of Indore Municipal Corporation. While two women and a driver were arrested from Indore, three other women were arrested from posh localities in Bhopal where they were maintaining high-profile lifestyle.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Indore Ruchi Vardhan Mishra had told the media persons that the arrests were on the basis of one complaint of blackmail and extortion against the women and if other complainants came forward more cases have been registered.

However, soon the matter took political colour as at least two of the accused women are said to be linked to major political parties. While one of the accused is said to be former office bearer of BJP, husband of another accused is said to be ex-office bearer of Congress IT cell, sources say.

The women are said to have trapped several influential persons including politicians linked to both BJP and Congress from MP, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and even Rajasthan. Initial probe suggested that the women would contact influential people on the pretext of getting government contracts and aid for the NGOs that they run. They would then trap them by chatting with them through social media and would then meet them in private. They would use spy cameras or normal mobile phones to make videos of their rendezvous and then start blackmailing these people and extort money or take other big benefits from them.