Chandigarh, August -The Special Task Force (STF) today arrested five policemen, including a Sub-Inspector, for allegedly extorting Rs 8 lakh and 300 gm of heroin from a drug trafficker by posing as STF officials in Lalru. All five were posted with the Counter Intelligence wing.

Harpreet Singh Sidhu, STF chief, said the policemen, including Sub-Inspector Sushil Kumar and constable Gagandeep Singh, posted in Mansa, and head constable Jarnail Singh and constable Harjit Singh, posted in Muktsar, went to Lalru without informing their seniors.

They used their private cars with fake number plates. They intercepted drug trafficker Narinder Singh’s vehicle in Lalru posing as a team of the STF Fazilka unit.

The STF chief said the cops took heroin from the accused and then extorted Rs 8 lakh by forcing him to call his friend in Chandigarh. They later released the drug peddler. The five policemen were accompanied by three others — Gagandeep Singh Mann of Kharar, Sukhpreet Singh alias Harry of Bathinda and Vakil Singh alias Kala sarpanch of Muktsar.