JAMMU: The Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir has booked four police officials, including a Superintendent of Jail, for fraud in connection with the recovery of ancient coins from a Jammu jail premises.
“Crime Branch Jammu has registered an FIR against Rajni Sehgal, the then Superintendent of Jail Kot Bhalwal Jammu, Chakkar Havaldar Ravi Kumar, Mohan Lal and Suman Kumar for misappropriation of ancient coins that were found in premises of the jail,” SSP Crime Mubassir Latifi said.
He said the case was registered under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and Treasures Trove Act 1954 after an approval was received from the Home Department Jammu and Kashmir with the recommendation of the Director General of Police (Prisons J&K).
The SSP said during the course of preliminary verification it was found that in September 2012, jail inmates, while carrying out digging of land for cultivation, had found about 500 metallic objects in an earthen pot.
“The pot contained ancient metallic coins, the information was given to Rajni Sehgal who along with other officers embezzled the coins and did not inform her seniors about the recovery,” Latifi said.
He said somehow the news about the recovery of the coins got leaked following which department authorities launched an inquiry in November 2012.
He said Rajni along with other accused officers forced the inmates to hide the truth. “She threatened them that she will make red entry in their records which would further hamper their release from the prison. The inmates were also tortured and forced to lie,” he said.
He said further enquiry revealed that the coins were used as currency during the regime of Muhammad Gauri, Balban, Ala- Ud-din Khilji and contained both gold as well as copper.
“The accused jail superintendent deliberately and intentionally remained mum and did not inform her senior officers or the district magistrate concerned regarding the recovery which was mandatory under Treasure Trove Act 1954.
“It was only after the initiation of the enquiry by the prison department that she disclosed the recovery of only 107 coins instead of 500. She also forged records and made fake documents to show that the recovery was made in November 2012”, Latifi said.
He said Rajni hurriedly referred the matter to Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museum Jammu in order to put veil over her actions.
“This all was done by Rajni with the active connivance of her subordinates, in order to keep her senior officers in dark and misappropriate the precious and ancient treasure in order to cause wrongful gains to herself and for jail staffers”, he said.