Rules flouted to ensure ‘pleasant stay’ for jailed extortionist

AGRA: Being in jail has not stopped Shailendra Agarwal, one of Uttar Pradesh’s most notorious extortionists from having a good time. During a surprise inspection by the DIG (prisons) at district jail on Saturday, Agarwal was found viewing Bollywood songs on television.
A set-top box was found attached to the television, which was placed inside barrack number 8-C where Agarwal is currently lodged.The man is accused of extorting large sums of money, almost Rs 300 crore, from businessmen and government officials, and was arrested last month.
Senior IPS officials who were in contact with Agarwal are also under the police scanner.
DIG (jail) V K Singh inspected the Agra district jail on Saturday and found the TV and set-top box. Jail sources informed TOI that inmates told the visiting officials that Agarwal use to watch Bollywood songs and news channels on TV, while the other inmates were only allowed to watch Doordarshan and ‘spiritual’ channels.
“The inmates told the DIG that Agarwal was provided with the remote control of the TV along with the set-top box, whereas the remote in other barracks is always with jail authorities. Officials have also got several complaints against Agarwal that special food is being cooked for him and he is allowed to move anywhere in the prison premises at any time,” added the jail official.
Officials refused to comment on record about the recent inspection by the DIG. They claimed that TVs have been put up in every barrack and Agarwal was not the only one watching channels.
Agarwal’s arrest in May had led to hundreds of people approaching police, claiming to have been defrauded by him. More than two dozen cheating cases have been registered against him in various police stations in Agra.
Besides claiming to be a leader of the ruling party in the state, Agarwal also had a cold storage business and dealt with potatoes. Investigators found that senior bureaucrats, police officers and politicians had invested in his business.
He was arrested after DGP A K Jain, suspecting that someone from Agra was misusing his phone, had ordered an investigation. Agra DIG Lashmi Singh’s team then closed in on Agarwal.
The con-man allegedly worked with sophisticated software. He could hide his identity while making calls and choose the number that would be displayed on the screen of the person receiving the call.
Besides the DGP and the chief minister’s office, Agarwal had also managed to hack the number of the New Zealand high commissioner.
TOI also reported that Agarwal was in “constant touch” with two former top cops of the state. DGP Jain had confirmed that the two high-profile names had indeed cropped up. Investigations are on.