Sagar cops access mobile call details of supporters, extort money, says BJP MLA

SAGAR: Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker and former home minister Bhupendra Singh on Thursday accused local police officers of illegally accessing call data records (CDR) of individuals in the district and using the information to extort money.

Singh said he flagged the issue to deputy chief minister Rajendra Shukla during the district planning committee’s meeting in Sagar, adding that Shukla acknowledged that the allegations were a “serious issue” and ordered a probe into them.

“Yesterday there was a meeting of the District Planning Committee in which different schemes including Jal Jeevan Mission and Pradhan Mantri Awas were reviewed. An issue was raised by some people and my supporters, that they are being threatened citing CDRs. Money is being extorted from some people by the police. This complaint has been made for the past five months. It is a crime and it can’t happen without police permission,” the former minister, who represents Sagar district’s Khurai segment in the state assembly, said.

Singh added that call data records, which contain details of phone calls, text messages and the location of a phone, were requisitioned by the police from mobile phone companies during investigation of a serious crime and with permission of the superintendent of police. “But local police officers are taking out phone numbers and CDR of mobiles of some people without the permission of SP and IG,” he said.

Sagar superintendent of police (SP) Vikas Shahwal, who was present at Wednesday’s meeting, said the allegations were wrong and he hadn’t permitted requisition of the CDRs.

Congress state president Jitu Patwari said Singh’s allegations indicated how bad the situation was. “Now, even common people and supporters of former home ministers are not safe. Police are extorting money by getting personal call details. The allegations are very serious and a high-level inquiry should be conducted into the matter.”