Chandigarh, May 20 -- The Haryana government has appointed 2006 batch IPS officer Om Parkash Narwal to the key post of inspector general (IG), South Range, despite his name figuring adversely in a special enquiry team (SET) probe pertaining to an alleged extortion racket. The South Range IGP is a senior supervisory officer responsible for overseeing crime control and law and order administration across four districts -Rewari, Mahendragarh, Nuh and Palwal. The IG supervises about 4,000 police personnel across these districts, each headed by an IPS officer serving as superintendents of police (SP). In August 2024, before the assembly elections, Narwal was posted as commissioner of police, Faridabad, before being shifted out on November 20, 2024. The case dates back to 2017 when a SET was constituted by the then Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) on May 17, 2027, to probe allegations of extortion by police officials who threatened false implication in a September 18, 2016, first information report (FIR) registered at Tohana (city) police station. The 2016 FIR was registered for offences punishable under the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act for determining the sex of the foetus, and Section120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Subsequently, on September 26, 2017, the police registered an FIR (no. 546) at Fatehabad (city) police station under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 218 (public servant framing an incorrect record with intent to save a person from punishment) and 120-B of the IPC against five persons including two cops - inspector Parveer Kumar and ESI Krishan Kumar - on a SET member's complaint. On Oct 6, 2017, the investigation was transferred to Crime Branch and a SIT headed by a SP rank officer was constituted. As per the report of the polygraph test of Narwal conducted at CBI's CFSL, New Delhi on Dec 7, 2020, "the analysis and evaluation of polygrams revealed deceptive responses on issues (i) to (vii)". The seven queries pertained to whether Narwal had received bribe money. However, the Crime Branch in its chargesheet filed in the trial court on Nov 23, 2022 said that "sufficient evidence to arrest Narwal has not been surfaced, hence his name is kept in column 12 (accused persons not charge-sheeted)." Justice Surinder Gupta of the Punjab and Haryana high court in his May 16, 2018, order said the SET comprising IGP, Hisar Range, Amitabh Dhillon; Hansi SP, Pratiksha Godara and deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Law and Order) Hisar, Jitender Singh, during enquiry found "that accused OP Narwal, IPS, in connivance with certain police officers (named in enquiry), conduits, under the threat of false implication have been extorting money from different persons by recording statement of accused in FIR number 420 of 2016 and after taking hefty amount from them accused OP Narwal got cleared their names." Quoting the SET report, the HC bench noted that "vide his arbitrary investigation OP Narwal was personally associated with the interrogation of the key accused, including Dr Ashok Kumar and driver Jasbir, and detailed further confessional statement were recorded in pursuance of the same. The names of a large number of alleged criminal associates of the aforesaid accused were added in their disclosure statements opening up the possibility for a free-wheeling and arbitrary investigation wherein alleged accused were arrested, got discharged or otherwise let-off without any appreciation of evidence." "It has also come on record that names of 19 accused were cleared from February 28 to April 16, 2017, on the strength of affidavit from inspector Parveer Kumar by giving him threat of dismissal from service. Attempt was also made to implicate complainants in a false rape cases. It is a case, which calls for detailed and thorough investigation,'' the HC bench said. Proceedings in the PC Act case (FIR number 546) are presently pending before the court of additional sessions judge, Fatehabad. In the course of the trial a cop, Parveer Kumar, accused in the case, on October 29, 2025, moved an application under Section 319 of the CrPC for summoning OP Narwal as an additional accused in the case. Section 319 of the CrPC empowers the court to proceed against persons who appear to have committed an offence based on the evidence that emerged during the trial. The matter was, on May 19, 2026, adjourned for consideration. Narwal did not respond for a comment despite repeated calls and text messages. Calls and messages to DGP Ajay Singhal also went unanswered. However, a senior official said that mere adverse reference in an investigation does not hold an officer ineligible for important assignments. "The government probably took a conscious decision to post him at South Range after taking legal opinion that he cannot be debarred from a posting till the time charges are framed by the trial court. He was in the rank of SP when the SET conducted an inquiry. Since then, he has been promoted to the rank of IG,'' the official said not willing to be named....