Delhi cop has heart attack while being arrested for accepting bribe

Delhi Police head constable Surendra Kumar collapsed from a heart attack while being arrested for bribery. He has been suspended amid ongoing inquiries.

A Delhi Police head constable suffered heart attack and collapsed on Friday while the vigilance branch was arresting him from north Delhi’s Burari for allegedly taking a bribe from a businessman. Police said on Sunday they are conducting a departmental enquiry against the vigilance branch inspector who was in charge of the raid and arrest.

On Friday night, the complainant handed over the chemical-coated notes to head constable Surendra Kumar near Burari police station. (Representational image)

While the head constable is currently undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), police said he has been suspended for misconduct and corruption charges.

Surendra Kumar — in his 30s — is posted at the Burari police station. Last week, a resident of Kamal Vihar approached the vigilance office alleging that Kumar was harassing him for a bribe of up to ₹1 lakh.

“We received a complaint from a businessman saying he had installed a mobile tower on the roof of his residence without permission, so a policeman was demanding ₹1 lakh. Later, the officer got transferred and Kumar replaced him. When the businessman met Kumar, he also demanded money to settle the issue. Based on the complaint, an FIR was lodged and a team was sent to catch the head constable red-handed. The complainant was to pay the first installment of the bribe ( ₹25,000) to Kumar on Friday,” a police officer aware of the case, said.

On Friday night, the complainant handed over the chemical-coated notes to head constable Kumar near Burari police station. However, police said Kumar got suspicious and gave the notes to another police official, but the handing over was caught in the nearby CCTV footage.

A team led by an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and station house officer (SHO) of vigilance branch caught Kumar near the police station soon after the cash was given to him. “As he was being taken for his arrest, he fell sick and collapsed. He was rushed to Burari Hospital where the doctors said he suffered a heart attack. He is undergoing treatment and is admitted in the ICU,” the senior officer said.

An officer from vigilance said a departmental enquiry has now been initiated against an inspector after Kumar was admitted. “Details of the raid and Kumar’s arrest are being taken. The inspector has been asked whether there was any violation of norms…or if Kumar suffered a heart attack due to some heart/health condition,” he said.