Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], July 12 : Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh on Sunday alleged that Vipendra Singh Tomar, the cook who accused him of physical assault, was a habitual offender with multiple criminal cases. He further claimed that the incident was part of a pre-planned extortion attempt.
Singh said the worker, hired directly rather than through a registered agency, had nine FIRs registered against him since 2018, including cases of attempted murder, robbery and house trespassing, and had been convicted in four of them.
"FIR was registered on 29 June, and the worker's background verification was done through the Gram Panchayat and local police. Although he had come to work for only a month and it was just his third day, it was found that he had nine FIRs registered against him since 2018. Charges included attempted murder, robbery and house trespassing, and he had already been convicted in four cases," Singh told ANI.
Singh alleged he later received calls demanding Rs 7-7.5 lakh to withdraw the complaint, which he refused.
He also said he filed a police complaint over the theft of two silver Ganesh idols and other valuables, submitted CCTV footage and other evidence, but claimed there has been no significant progress in the investigation.
"It then became clear that this was a pre-planned act. I learnt that he was a habitual criminal who had come here with the intention of extorting money, believing that, as I am a public figure, he could easily extract a settlement. A few days later, I even received calls demanding Rs 7-7.5 lakh in exchange for withdrawing the FIR. I refused, as I would not pay for something I had not done. My mistake was hiring someone directly instead of through a registered agency," Singh said.
"The situation could have been far more dangerous, especially as my elderly parents often stay home alone. Fortunately, I was at home, and nothing more serious happened. I lodged a complaint with the police on 1 July. We also reported the theft of two silver Ganesh idols and other valuables, and submitted CCTV footage and other evidence. However, there has been no progress in the investigation or any further questioning," he added.
Last month, Tomar, the domestic cook, accused Singh, his father Shailesh Singh and their driver of assault, and alleged that he was beaten, intimidated and prevented from leaving the family's residence after refusing to continue working.
The Ratibad Police in Bhopal registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Shashank Singh, his father Shailesh Singh and the family's driver following Tomar's complaint alleging assault, verbal abuse and wrongful confinement.
According to the FIR, Tomar, a 31-year-old resident of Rewa district, was brought to Bhopal through an acquaintance and was promised a monthly salary of Rs 15,000, along with food, accommodation and assistance in securing a government job.
The complainant alleged that soon after joining work at the family's residence in Mendori village, he was subjected to verbal abuse over the quality of food prepared by him. When he expressed his desire to leave the job, his mobile phone was allegedly taken away to prevent him from contacting anyone, and he was pressured to continue working.
The FIR further states that after he locked himself inside a room for safety, the accused allegedly entered the room and assaulted him. A medical examination reportedly found visible injuries on the complainant.
Police registered the case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 296(B), 115(2) and 3(5).