De-mon smokes out city police demons
BENGALURU: Every scarcity is an opportunity, so a management expert might empathise with the eight cops in Bengaluru who tried to make the ‘best’ of the cash crisis. Seven constables and one sub-inspector have been dimissed for robbing businessmen and a lawyer off lakhs.
They were involved in three different cases, but of the same nature, and all have been removed from service under Article 311(2)(b). The Section reads: “where the authority empowered to dismiss or remove a person or to reduce him in rank ins satisfied that for some reason, to be recorded by that authority in writing, it is not reasonably practicable to hold such inquiry.”. Senior officials hope that this will serve as a deterrant for other police personnel.
On November 22, a businessman from Peenya was allegedly robbed by five policemen including a sub-inspector from Kalasipalya Police Station. According to senior police officers, the accused policemen were told by their informer Jaffer of businessman Gangadhar’s wealth. Encouraged by the policeman, Jaffer offered Gandaghar a deal – a 20 per cent commission for his new currency in return for old currecy. That is, if Gangadhar gives Rs 1 lakh in new currency, Jaffer’s friends would return `1.2 lakhs in old currency. Gangadhar, who trades in mobile phones, could easily exchange old notes as part of his business dealings.
The businessman was called to place near Peenya to carry out the exchange and Jaffer’s friends, the policemen, are said to have swooped down on Gangadhar and ‘seized’ the money. They were in their official uniform. Gangadhar did not immediately register a complaint and went a week later to the Peenya police station to check what happened to the seized currency. It it here he realised that the policemen were not acting on orders or in the interest of law, but to make personal profit.
The businessman registered a complaint at the station on November 6 and, on the same day, the police arrested the Sub-inspector NC Mallikarjun, constables Manjunatha Moggad, LK Girish, Chandrashekar and Anantharaju, police informer Jaffer and his associate. The Peenya police are conducting further investigations against the accused as well as Gangadhar who filed the complaint.
In another case, a women advocate Suneetha was robbed by police constables Mayura and Raghav Kumar attached to the Girinagar Police Station. Here too a police informer approached the advocate to exchange old currencies for new, and for a commission. Once the advocate reached the designated spot with the money, the constables allegedly ‘inspected’ her vehicle and seized money. Suneetha was asked to visit the police station for further proceeding and, when she did, the policemen there said that no such seizure was authorised or carried out. Suneetha sensed something ‘fishy’ and filed a complaint with the Commissioner. According to a senior police official, cops are investigating Suneetha’s claims and the source of money she had in hand.
The third case the cops allegedly kidnapped the victim and robbed him. B Shesha, a police constable with CCB (Central Crime Branch) and four other gang members have been arrested for extorting `25 lakh from Jai Shankar, a shopkeeper in Rajajinagar. On November 26, the gang offered Jai Shankar `30 lakh in old denomination notes in exchange for `25 lakh in new notes. Jaya Shankar reached the specified location, along with his friend, and the gang allgedly kidnapped the two and assaulted them in two different vehicles. After robbing him, the complainant claimed, they were pushed out of the vehicles.
Jai Shankar said that he had received death threats from the accused but approached the police and filed a complaint against the gang. The Magadi Road police have arrested the gang and registered a case under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 395 (dacoity).
Recently, JP Nagar police had arrested Babu Noronha, a retired DSP with Criminal Investigation Department (CID), for allegedly carrying out a dacoity on November 24. A gang headed by Babu Norongha, the police say, entered the house of a businessman and robbed him of Rs 1 crore in old currency. Later, one of the gang members surrendered to the police and that is how the cops came to know of the others.
KSR Charan Reddy, Additional Commmissioner of Police (West) said they took strict against the errant police officers to send out the message that they won’t let the “fence eat the fruit”. “We will take strict action against criminals in our department, we won’t think twice because we are supposed to uphold the law. It should be a lesson for others in the department,” he said.