Serious allegations have surfaced against police personnel attached to the Sarai Kale Khan police post under Sunlight Colony police station in connection with a phone theft case. The personnel are accused of allegedly arresting and sending an innocent man to jail, presenting another individual in place of the actual suspect, and extorting around ₹27 lakh from a family. Saket Court Judicial Magistrate First Class Divya Leela has taken note of these allegations and directed that call detail records (CDRs) and CCTV footage linked to the police personnel be preserved. The court has also flagged procedural irregularities in the case records.
The police personnel currently under scrutiny include sub-inspectors Dhananjay Dubey and Deepak, head constables Virendra Singh and Balram, and Makki Hussaini, among others. In orders passed on July 22 and August 5, the court directed that relevant electronic evidence be preserved. It's important to note that these allegations remain subject to investigation and judicial determination — nothing has been proven in court yet.
It Started With the Purchase of an Old Phone
The complainant, Ruhaif Qureshi, deals in used mobile phones at Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh. According to his complaint, he purchased an iPhone 17 Pro from a man identified as Salman for ₹32,000 on April 22-23, and later sold it to a parts dealer on April 28.
The complaint alleges that on the night of May 10, head constable Virendra Singh contacted Qureshi via WhatsApp call, informing him the phone was stolen and allegedly warning him of police action. Fearing legal trouble, Qureshi reportedly bought the phone back from the parts dealer and sent it to the airport on May 13 — though police allegedly refused to accept it.
Qureshi was subsequently arrested on May 14 and produced before Saket Court on May 15, where he was reportedly sent to three days of police custody. According to the complaint, sub-inspector Deepak allegedly demanded ₹30 lakh from Qureshi's family member Fazil, threatening to implicate Qureshi and his mother, Seema, in another case if the money wasn't paid.
A Separate Allegation Involving a Substitute Suspect
The complaint also details a separate, equally troubling sequence of events. A phone theft FIR had allegedly been registered at Sunlight Colony police station on April 19, 2026, following which two men, Shoaib and Sameer, were arrested. The complaint alleges that on May 9, police personnel took these two men to the residence of a man named Salman, alias Nadeem. When Salman wasn't found there, his father, Salim, was allegedly taken to the police post instead.
The family claims that Salim paid ₹5 lakh under pressure and was allowed to return home that night. Police personnel then allegedly demanded another ₹4 lakh from Salman's family and asked them to produce someone else in Salman's place. According to the complaint, a man identified as Zaheer was presented instead of Salman, and ₹4 lakh was paid.
The Alleged Extortion Amount and a Tragic Turn
According to the complaint, the alleged demand was eventually reduced from ₹30 lakh to ₹18 lakh. Of this, ₹13 lakh was allegedly handed over in cash inside a vehicle. The complaint further claims ₹2 lakh was given in cash to sub-inspector Deepak inside a room on May 18, while the remaining ₹3 lakh was allegedly handed over to sub-inspector Dhananjay Dubey on May 20.
Meanwhile, on May 24, the family reportedly received a call from Tihar Jail informing them that Salim's health had deteriorated and that he was being taken to a hospital associated with Delhi University. When the family reached the hospital, they were allegedly informed that Salim had died. The complaint has linked this sequence of events to the broader allegations, and this aspect will require careful investigation to establish the full facts.
Allegations of Vandalism and Missing Belongings
The complaint also refers to an alleged incident at the family's residence on May 17, claiming that police personnel brought Salim to the house, where CCTV cameras were allegedly damaged and household belongings were searched or damaged. The family further alleges that an iPhone 13 in white, a passport, a DVR, and a large suitcase were taken away.
Court Flags Procedural Lapses
During the proceedings, the current investigating officer reportedly informed the court that the case had been taken away from the previous investigating officer. The court was also told that the case diary was not properly paginated and had allegedly been prepared without the knowledge of the ACP and station house officer — a detail the court has flagged as concerning.
The court has now directed preservation of the CDRs of the police personnel concerned, along with relevant CCTV footage. These records are expected to help investigators establish the movements of the personnel, communications between the parties, and the sequence of events surrounding the alleged payments. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on August 11. The precise role of the police personnel involved, and the validity of these serious allegations, will ultimately depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation and the court's eventual findings.
FAQs
Q1. What are the main allegations against the police personnel in this case?
The police personnel are accused of allegedly wrongfully arresting an innocent man, presenting another individual in place of the actual suspect, and extorting around ₹27 lakh from affected families.
Q2. What has the court ordered so far?
Saket Court has directed the preservation of call detail records (CDRs) and CCTV footage linked to the accused police personnel, while also flagging procedural lapses in how the case diary was maintained.
Q3. What happened to Salim, the father of the alleged original suspect?
According to the complaint, Salim was allegedly detained and forced to pay money, and later died after his health reportedly deteriorated while in custody — a sequence of events that remains under investigation.