New Delhi: A 62-year-old man has been arrested in connection with trafficking of women from Central Asian countries and running a sex racket, sources in the Delhi police department said.
Technology consultant Pritindra Nath Sanyal was arrested on Thursday after a case was registered against him at Safdarjung Enclave police station. A close aid of Sanyal, Ajay Ahalwat - a retired army man – was also arrested.
Investigation revealed that Sanyal - who was under I-T scanner - impersonated Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since the suspects used to deal with government departments, Delhi police is now investigating whether the rescued Russian girls were used as a honey trap or not.
The matter came to the fore after Sanyal’s residences in Safdarjung Enclave, Vasant Kunj and in Lucknow was raided by Income Tax authorities on June 2.
During search, incriminating documents indicating his involvements in illegal activities like human trafficking and impersonation came to light, DCP (south) Ishwar Singh said.
Documentary evidence in the form of WhatsApp messages and SMSes were seized from his residence at Safadarjung Enclave, he said.
The IT officials had rescued a Russian national, aged about 23 years, from his residence in Safdarjung Enclave. The SMSes and WhatsApp data of the woman's mobile phone indicated that she was being kept against her will.
Her travel documents including passport were allegedly taken away by the accused.
In the statement given to the IT officials, the women said she was feeling "very insecure" with the accused and wished to leave the premises immediately and also allegedly attempted suicide by cutting her wrist vein.
The woman came to India on a tourist visa on February 25. She was introduced to accused Sanyal by Colonel Ajay Ahlawat (retd) whose involvement in the case is being probed.
He was previously involved in many cheating cases, Singh said.
The IT raid had also led to recovery of copies of passports of other foreign nationals as well as phone numbers of dozens of women belonging to Central Asian countries from the accused's residence.
"Messages exchanged between accused Sanyal and his associates revealed financial transactions related to foreign women," he said.
Sanyal was yesterday produced in a city court from where he was sent to police custody.
Police is probing Sanyal's phone record, bank accounts, emails and the involvement of his associates in the crime. Investigations so far revealed he has sent messages to government officials and other senior functionaries, posing as a Member of Parliament and top bureaucrat for getting favours in certain business deals, the officer added.
(With PTI inputs)
Comments
0 comment