BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Police on Saturday placed an inspector rank officer under suspension on charge of gross misconduct, official sources said.
"DGP has placed Inspector Dhaneswar Sahu, IIC Jaleswar Police Station under suspension for gross misconduct," the official twitter handle of Director General of Police, Abhay said.
Sources in police headquarters in Cuttack said that the action was taken against the inspector after an audio clip of a telephonic conversation purportedly between Sahu, the Inspector-in Charge (IIC) of Jaleswar Police station and a drug mafia went viral on social media.
Earlier on Friday, IGP Diptesh Patnaik had directed the Balasore district SP to investigate into the matter.
In the audiotape, the tainted police officer was allegedly demanding money from the drug peddler with the help of a lawyer.
Sources said a drug peddler, after being released from jail on bail, approached the inspector to get his vehicle released which was seized by the police.
Sahu has denied the allegations against him and claimed that the voice in the audio clip was not his.