Punjab: Highway robbery incident declared ‘fabricated’; case registered against both the alleged victim and the attackers.

Punjab: A complaint of a highway robbery involving Rs 2.15 lakh near Koharwala village has taken a new turn, with both the alleged victim and the attackers now being named as accused in the case. Kulwant Singh, a vegetable vendor, had complained three days ago that four men posing as police officers had robbed him on a deserted rural road. Police have since revealed that the robbery claim was fabricated. According to the police, the story was allegedly concocted by the vendor to “teach a lesson” to four young men, including a serving police constable, who had stopped and harassed him.
Faridkot SSP Pragya Jain said that the four accused – Ranjit Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Gurjit Singh, and Constable Harwinder Singh – had stopped Kulwant’s vehicle posing as policemen on the pretext of searching for narcotics. Although no money was taken, the incident frightened the vendor. After noting down the vehicle number, Kulwant Singh and his friend Rajwinder Singh allegedly decided to file a false complaint of a Rs 2.15 lakh robbery to ensure swift police action. Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR under stringent sections and arrested the four men. However, during questioning, it emerged that no cash had been looted.