VELLORE: Ambur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dhanraj and Sub-Inspector of Police (SI) Loorthu Jeyaraj were arrested on Thursday by the DVAC for accepting bribe from the owner of a brick kiln and five other persons.
The arrest followed a complaint by Panneerselvam, a resident of Thanangkuppam, who owned the brick kiln and two heavy vehicles - a tipper and a lorry. A police official said the DSP was arrested for taking a bribe of Rs 1,20,000 while the SI for Rs 25,000.
Following the State-wide ban on sand quarrying, Panneerselvam stopped taking sand starting November 2017. Dhanraj allegedly pressurised him to keep taking sand from quarries.
Panneerselvam was said to have come to an agreement with Dhanraj, who demanded Rs 20,000 for one load of sand in 15 days, which means Rs 40,000 per month but when some of Panneerselvam’s friends joined him in the activity, all of them were asked to pay Rs 40,000 per month. In the end, however, the DSP allegedly agreed to receive an amount of Rs 20,000 a month for six loads – amounting to Rs 1,20,000. He had asked for a ‘Pongal bonus’ of Rs 25,000.
Sub-inspector Loorthu Jeyaraj, who allegedly worked as an intermediary between the DSP and the six members involved in the said activity, allegedly took a bribe of Rs 25,000 – apparently the ‘Pongal bonus’ the DSP demanded .
Panneerselvam registered a complaint on 5 February, 2018. The DVAC then set a trap with chemical laced bribe money and arrested the cops. People who had suffered earlier burst crackers in front of his office when they came to know of the arrest.