M A I N   N E W S

IFS officer in human trafficking racket?
Punjabi singers among others chargesheeted

New Delhi, February 24
An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and a Punjabi singer are among five persons who have been chargesheeted by the CBI for their alleged involvement in trafficking nine persons to Berlin three years ago.

The investigating agency, while filing the chargesheet in a court here, said: “In 2005, Rakesh Kumar, a former director-general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), facilitated empanelling of a bogus cultural group - Mehak Punjab Di - and illegally trafficked nine individuals to Berlin misusing his official position.”

The CBI accused Kumar, who had also served as special secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, of “human trafficking for a monetary consideration” in a conspiracy involving Punjabi singer Balwinder Bawa and others.

“He directed to send a team of 15 members, comprising inexperienced and untrained Punjabi folk dancers, to Germany on government sponsorship before his transfer from ICCR,” the CBI claimed.

Invoking penal provisions of the cheating, forgery and others of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the agency said out of the troupe, nine members had defected after their performance at the Indian Embassy in Berlin in September 2005 as part of the conspiracy.

Besides Kumar, the agency also accused Shiv Kumar Sharma, the then Punjab Agricultural University employee, Harghulab Singh, a farmer, Balwinder Bawa, a Punjabi singer, and Gurbhej Singh, constable of Punjab Armed Police, of various offences in the case registered with it on November 22, 2005.

A bogus cultural group, Mehak Punjab Di, was formed in 2005 after Harghulab contacted Sharma for sending his son Randeep abroad, it said. Acting on behalf of Kumar, Sharma asked Harghulab to collect Rs 7.5 lakh from each member of the group, who wanted to stay back in Germany following their performance.

He also collected Rs 1 lakh from each member for allegedly paying Kumar, who allegedly facilitated empanelment of the troupe with the ICCR.

Kumar, on his part, allegedly prevailed upon embassy officials at Berlin for allowing the troupe to perform on the night of September 14, 2005.

Harghulab and his son broke away from the group on the same night while the other seven slipped away the next day, the CBI alleged, adding that Sharma did not report the matter to the embassy there. — PTI