Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 19: The Crime Branch, Jammu today registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Rajni Sehgal, former Superintendent of Kot Bhalwal Jail and three others including Havaldar Ravi Kumar, Mohan Lal and Suman Kumar for misappropriation of unusual metallic objects (107 ancient coins) found inside the jail premises.
SSP Crime Branch, Jammu Mubassir Latifi told the Excelsior that the case was registered against Sehgal and three others after a communication was received from the State Home Department with recommendations of the Director General of Prisons regarding recovery of 107 ancient coins found inside the Kot Bhalwal Jail premises and its subsequent alleged misappropriation by the jail staff with the directions to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.
“During the course of Preliminary Verification conducted at Crime Branch, Jammu, it has been found that jail inmates (convicts) during the digging of earth for vegetation purposes during September, 2012 found around 450/500 metallic objects packed in an earthen pot covered with a lid, which, on rubbing, glittered like gold,” Latifi said.
He added that the broken pieces of this earthen pot together with the recovered metallic objects were thereafter handed over to Chakkar Havaldar Ravi Kumar and Mohan Lal, who wrapped all these items in a piece of newspaper and handed over them to the then Jail Superintendent Rajni Sehgal.
“But somehow the information regarding the recovery of the material got leaked and the higher authorities of the Prisons Department ordered an internal inquiry in the month of November, 2012 upon which Chakkar Havaldar Ravi Kumar, Mohan Lal and Suman Kumar on the instruction/directions of Rajni Sehgal, approached the inmates and threatened them that if they will reveal the truth regarding the actual date and quantity of the recovered objects, a red entry shall be made in their records which shall hamper their release,” the SSP Crime Branch said.
He added that the inmates were also tutored to depose that the objects were recovered in the month of November, 2012 near Diwali and not in September, 2012 and were about 100 in number and not 450/500. It also came to fore during the course of enquiry that the recovered unusual objects were actually currency coins used during the regime of Muhammad Gauri, Balban, Ala-ud-din Khilji and contained both gold as well as copper as their ingredients.
However, Rajni Sehgal deliberately and intentionally remained mum and did not inform her senior officers or the District Magistrate concerned, regarding the recovery, as was required under the Treasure Trove Act and it was only after the initiation of the enquiry by the Prisons Department that she disclosed recovery of 107 coins in the month of November, 2012 by preparing fake and forged records/document mentioning wrong date and time of recovery and hurriedly referred the matter to Directorate of Archives, Archaeology & Museum, Jammu in order to put a veil over her misdeeds and wrongdoings.
Official sources said this all was done by Rajni Sehgal with the active connivance of her subordinate employees Mohan Lal, Ravi Kumar and Suman Kumar, in order to keep the senior officers in the dark and misappropriate the precious and ancient treasure in sheer abuse of her position and powers, intentionally and deliberately in order to cause wrongful gains to herself and for jail staffers.
The omissions and commissions on the part of accused officers/officials constituted offences punishable under Sections 420, 409, 465, 466, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B RPC read with Section 5/24 Treasures Trove Act, 1954. Accordingly a case was registered in Crime Branch, Jammu and further investigation has been taken up, sources said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel