Fake Colonel Sexually Exploited Martyr Soldier’s Widow, Later Extorted ₹1.75 Crore Through Blackmail

Fake Colonel Sexually Exploited Martyr Soldier’s Widow, Later Extorted ₹1.75 Crore Through Blackmail

Victim Lodges Complaint at Women Police Station

Chandigarh 25 June ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The widow of a martyr soldier has accused a man posing as an Indian Army officer and his family of sexual exploitation and financial fraud worth crores of rupees. She has submitted a detailed complaint to senior police officials and demanded strict legal action against the accused. Addressing a press conference at Chandigarh Press Club, martyr soldier's widow Pragati Bajpai revealed that her husband, L.N. Dwivedi, was martyred in 2022 during a military rehearsal exercise while on duty in Suratgarh, Rajasthan. Following his martyrdom, a man identified as Rahul Arya approached her, claiming to be a close acquaintance of her late husband and introducing himself as a Colonel in the Indian Army. He gained her trust by assuring her that he would help secure her pending death claim benefits.

In December, Rahul Arya, a resident of Panchkula, invited Pragati Bajpai, who resides in Kanpur, regarding the processing of her claim. He arranged her air tickets and covered her transportation expenses. Upon her arrival, she stayed at a military guest house in Mohali, where Rahul met her dressed in a complete Army uniform, further strengthening her confidence in him. Later, on February 8, 2023, Rahul Arya again called Pragati Bajpai, claiming it was related to her pending work. This time, instead of meeting her at the military guest house, he asked her to come to the Holiday Inn in Panchkula and sent a man named Bunty to pick her up. At the hotel, Rahul Arya was present along with his father.

According to the complainant, Rahul allegedly mixed an intoxicating substance in her food, causing her to lose consciousness. When she regained awareness, she found herself naked and realized that she had been sexually assaulted. She was alone in the room, but Rahul Arya's wallet, containing his Aadhaar card and other identification documents, was lying there. She photographed these documents using her mobile phone. She alleged that when Rahul Arya later met her, he showed her objectionable photographs and threatened to make them public unless she paid him ₹30 lakh. Thereafter, over a period of nearly one and a half years, he allegedly blackmailed her and extorted approximately ₹1.75 crore.

Unable to bear the harassment any longer, Pragati Bajpai approached the Military Police, who advised her to first register an FIR with the civil police. Acting on this advice, she submitted a complaint on June 18 at the Women Police Station in Sector 5, Panchkula. She was called again on June 24, where police recorded her statement in detail. The police subsequently summoned Bunty, the driver who had transported her from Mohali to Panchkula on February 8, 2023. According to the complainant, Bunty informed the police that Rahul Arya had possibly fled to Dubai and had allegedly cheated him of around ₹1.5 lakh as well.

Pragati Bajpai also conducted her own inquiries and allegedly discovered that Rahul Arya possessed a fake Indian Army identity card and frequently wore an Army uniform despite not being a serving officer. She further alleged that he falsely claimed to be the nephew of senior Haryana Congress leader Jitendra Bhardwaj and also projected himself as the President of Chandigarh Congress.According to information gathered by the complainant, a rape case had previously been registered against Rahul Arya at Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar Police Station, and he had reportedly spent around three years in Tihar Jail. She further alleged that his father was also involved in fraudulent activities related to promising jobs to people. The complainant has urged the police to conduct a fair and impartial investigation and initiate legal proceedings against the accused under relevant sections pertaining to rape, cheating, impersonation, forgery, criminal intimidation, and other applicable offences.