Gurgaon multi-cr heist: Suspended IPS officer seeks transfer of case

Hearing the bail application, ASJ Singh, in an order on Monday, said, “It has been pointed out by the learned counsel for the applicant-accused that the application for transfer of the case has been filed before the Court of learned Sessions Judge, Gurugram. Accordingly, in view of the pendency of the transfer application, file be put up before the court of learned Sessions Judge, Gurugram, for consideration of desirability of withdrawal of this bail application from this court.”

ASJ Singh had earlier pulled up the Special Task Force (STF) probing the case, observing that its approach was “inert and soft”.

While referring to the disclosure statement of an accused in the case on December 2, 2021, the court had observed that it makes it clear “he has given illegal gratification to (the then Gurgaon) DCP Dheeraj Setia for hushing up the matter”. The court had also observed that the STF failed to perform its statutory duty with utmost care and caution, “especially when the involvement of a senior police officer has come on record”.

Setia, who was the Gurgaon DCP at the time of the theft, was suspended on December 10, 2021, after the court had put under scanner allegations of bribery against him.

In December 2021, the STF had conducted raids at his residences in Panchkula and Gurgaon after an arrest warrant was issued. The Prevention of Corruption Act has been invoked against the officer.

While remanding five accused in the case to judicial custody, the same court on December 16, 2021, had directed the STF to examine the role of all police officers who have dealt with the case. “Circumstances of the case as unfolded by investigating agency (STF) so far suggest that DCP Dheeraj Setia might have tried to cover up the multi-crore theft with active concurrence of his superior officers and with the active involvement, by way of arm twisting, of his junior officers of crime branch,” the court had observed.

The theft, reported on August 21, 2021, was initially suspected to be of Rs 50 lakh. The STF later said that its probe suggests over Rs 30 crore was stolen from two flats of a society in Sector 84. At least 16 people have been arrested including three doctors, aides of gangster Lagarpuria and a Delhi Police ASI.

In an order on January 21, ASJ Singh had said, “The source of money stored in the flats and the purpose for which it was stored there are yet to be traced. Some of the accused who had committed theft are still at large. The role of senior police officer, namely, Dheeraj Setia, the then DCP, is also yet to be examined…”