CHENNAI: A Telangana-based jewellery shop employee, who had come here carrying `32 lakh in cash to purchase gold, was allegedly forced by four police constables to give `1.5 lakh as bribe.
After the jewellery shop owner from Telangana complained to a senior police officer, an inquiry was ordered against the constables under an Additional Commissioner of Police and the `1.5 lakh bribe amount was reportedly recovered from them.
The incident took place on Friday when a person called Srinivasulu, an employee of a jewellery shop in Warangal district, was travelling in a car on Rajappa Chetty Street in Park Town here.
The four constables — Mariappan, Raja Singh, Sani Laidu and Muthuramalingam — stopped the car during a routine vehicle checking procedure.
“They found that Srinivasulu was carrying `32 lakh cash and was not able to produce documents regarding the source of the money. The constables must have informed their superiors and the person must have been handed over to the Income Tax department. But they are said to have demanded `10 lakh as bribe to let him go,” said a police officer.
After much bargaining, Srinivasulu gave the police personnel `1.5 lakh cash after which the cops allowed him to leave.
However, later in the day, the jewellery shop owner brought the incident to the notice of a senior police officer who immediately asked an Assistant Commissioner of Police to investigate. It is learnt that the officer recovered the `1.5 lakh cash from the four constables.
A senior police officer, who is in charge of the departmental enquiry against the four constables, told Express that he will take action once he gets the final report. “I have not got the report yet. Will take action against the personnel, if their crime is proved,” he said. He added that he can rule out the possibility of hawala dealings by Srinivasulu only after a detailed inquiry.