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Chandigarh: Two sub-inspectors booked in ₹5-lakh graft case suspended
Another SI, Krishan Fauji, posted with the economics offences wing (EOW), who had managed to flee from the spot, has also been suspended
Chandigarh Police have suspended sub-inspector Akhtar Hussain, posted at the Sector-17 police station, who was arrested on Friday for seeking ₹5-lakh bribe from a local resident in lieu of helping his relative in a GST fraud case.
Another SI, Krishan Fauji, posted with the economics offences wing (EOW), who had managed to flee from the spot, has also been suspended.
Police said both cops were handling a GST fraud case and sought ₹5-lakh illegal gratification for favouring a relative of the complainant, Ram Mehar Sharma, who instead approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
As per Sharma’s complaint, Sector 17 police had booked his brother Ramdiya on the basis of a false complaint. Sharma alleged that another accused in the said case, Ishwar Chander, had taken his brother’s documents, including bank account details and Aadhaar card, for the purpose of a home loan, but misused them.
He met investigating officer Krishan Fauji and another police official Akhtar Hussain several times in September over this.
But the duo sought ₹5 lakh in lieu of helping his brother and threatened that if the bribe was not paid, they will initiate proclaimed offender proceedings against Ramdiya and arrest him.
They further directed Sharma to meet a mechanic at the Sector-48 motor market, who sent him back to the two police officials and he was told to pay ₹2.5 lakh as first instalment.
As he didn’t want to pay the bribe, he approached CBI.
Sleuths from the probe agency reached the EOW office on Friday and sent the complainant to the accused cops with ₹2.5 lakh in cash in the basement of the office. By the time, the complainant returned to the upper floor, where CBI sleuths were present, Fauji had already left with the money in a black Tata Safari. Hussain, however, was caught on the spot around 10.30 pm.
Hussain was presented before a CBI court on Saturday and sent to judicial custody.
In court, CBI submitted that the case was at initial stage, documents regarding the case had yet to be collected from the police and important witnesses had yet to be examined. The agency said the accused were senior police officials and co-accused Krishan Fauji was still at large, and could hamper investigation. Hearing the submissions, the court sent Hussain to judicial custody.
The two SIs are facing a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
