BHADRAK: A sub-inspector (SI) of Bhadrak Rural police station was placed under suspension on Friday for allegedly sending a civilian to investigate a case on his behalf.
Bhadrak SP Manoj Rout ordered suspension of SI Kartik Jena pending further inquiry. Kartik was relieved of his duties immediately following the order. The civilian, Piyush Ranjan Panda of Dhusuri area in Dhamnagar block, was also arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer.
Sources said Piyush was informally assisting Kartik with computer-related tasks and other works at the police station. On Thursday, instead of personally visiting Rasikabaga village in Kalei panchayat to investigate a case involving a woman, SI Jena allegedly instructed Piyush to carry out the inspection in his place.
Piyush arrived at the village on his personal motorcycle, rather than an official police vehicle, and began questioning locals regarding the case. His demeanour and responses aroused suspicion among the villagers, who started to question his credentials. When he failed to provide satisfactory answers, the villagers detained him and alerted Bhadrak Rural police.
Investigation revealed that Piyush had no official ties to the police department. He had acted as a middleman posing as a police officer under SI Jena’s direction. He was taken into custody and produced in court on the day.
Bhadrak additional SP Arup Abhishek Behera said, “This is a serious breach of duty. The accused person has no connection with the police department. A thorough investigation is underway to ascertain all aspects of the case.”
