Court issues production warrant against ex-cop Pradeep Sharma in extortion case

"The production warrant was issued after Sharma did not appear before the court today (as ordered)," said a police officer.u00a0

Sharma, dismissed from service, is lodged in Thane central jail ever since he was arrested in connection with the fake encounter of alleged Chotta Rajan aide Ramnarayan Gupta.

Former cop Pradeep Sharma. File Pic

In the present case, as per scrap dealer Tariq Nabhi Khan's complaint, on March 19, 1997, Sharma, another 'encounter specialist' police officer Daya Nayak and five others stopped him on his way home in Kurla and took him forcibly to Juhu's Chandan police chowky. Threatening to bump him off in fake encounter, they allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh, which was later negotiated down to Rs 2 lakh.

He was released next evening after he promised to pay.

After he filed the complaint, the metropolitan magistrate's court did not include Sharma as an accused in the case. So Khan moved the sessions court, which made Sharma an accused in December 2010.