Jalandhar: The District Bar Association, Jalandhar, convened an urgent meeting to discuss extortion threats received by senior advocate and former association president, Mandeep Singh Sachdev.
According to the association, Sachdev had been getting threatening calls and Facebook Messenger messages from Sandeep Singh, who runs social media accounts from Canada. Singh allegedly demanded ransom and warned of dire consequences if his demands were not met.
Following a complaint, an FIR was registered against Sandeep Singh and his brother Jatinder Singh, a former client of Sachdev. Despite this, Sandeep Singh allegedly continued to send threats and claimed that his associate would personally collect the ransom money.
On September 18, one person, identified as Sam Kwatra, reportedly arrived at Sachdev’s office at Plaza Chowk, Jalandhar, to collect the ransom. He was caught on the spot and arrested by police. However, the Bar Association expressed shock that police later released him, declaring him innocent, which it said raised serious doubts about their conduct and intentions.
The association further alleged that Sandeep Singh later posted derogatory remarks on social media targeting Sachdev, his wife advocate Samrata Sachdev, and their daughter advocate Meher Sachdev.
It also claimed that Singh’s father, Parminder Singh, who recently returned from Canada, was involved in extortion attempts.
Calling the developments “disturbing,” the Bar Association accused police of failing to conduct a fair investigation and said the matter has shaken the legal fraternity.
