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AMRITSAR: Nearly 16 years after a “suicide pact” wip- ed out a five-member Amritsar family, a city court on Monday convicted a former DIG of Punjab Police , a serving deputy SP, Hardev Singh , and four relatives of the deceased of extortion and abetment, among other charges.

Retired DIG Kultar Sin- gh was the SSP of Amritsar in 2004 when Hardip Singh , a resident of the Chowk Karori neighbourhood, and four members of his family — mother, wife Romi and minor sons — were found dead in their home.

A suicide note purportedly written by Hardip and messages scribbled on the walls of a room accused Kultar Singh of driving him and his family to take the extreme step on the night of October 30, 2004.

According to the case diary, Hardip had allegedly murdered his father and was spotted by a relative while trying to dispose of the body. She told her father-in-law about it and he started blackmailing Hardip, extorting Rs 7.25 lakh.

When some officers at the local thana got wind of this, they too extorted Rs 5 lakh from Hardip and demanded another Rs 7 lakh, the prosecution established. DSP Hardev Singh was then the officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.

