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Rajasthan IPS extorted money from 27 corrupt cops, maintained register: ACB
The ACB suspects that the details of corrupt police officers were recorded in a register by a policeman who was either posted at the intelligence or vigilance wing of the former SP’s office.
A team of Rajasthan’s anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has recovered a register containing names of 27 allegedly corrupt policemen, whose vulnerability was exploited by suspended IPS officer Manish Agrawal, who extorted money from them, claimed ACB officials.
The bureau claims to have recovered the register from the possession of suspended and jailed IPS officer Manish Agrawal. The register was maintained by one of Agrawal’s subordinates, say officials from the bureau.
As per the register, seen by HT, one of his subordinates addressed Agrawal and said, “Jai Hind Sir! We should call these policemen separately. If you quiz them at your level, then definitely, they will definitely speak. None of them has any ground. If they are threatened, they will speak the truth.”
An ACB official familiar with the developments said that these notes were submitted by one of Agarwal’s subordinates during his posting as superintendent of police (SP), GRP (government railway police) between October 16, 2019 and July 5, 2020. More than 10 police districts were under his jurisdiction.
“The 27 policemen include policemen from constables to assistant sub-inspectors posted in Alwar, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Kota, Abu Road, Gangapur City, Hindaun Chowki, Bandikui and Jhalawar,” said the ACB official.
He added that the notes point out specific details of the 27 policemen and the money extorted from people in different cases. The ACB suspects that the details were recorded by a policeman who was either posted at the intelligence or vigilance wing of the former SP’s office.
“From complaints against constables to those against additional superintendent of police, vigilance and intelligence unit of SP, GRP keeps formal or informal record of the complaints. Agrawal exploited these details and used them to extort money. However, how much did he extract from these policemen is yet to be discovered,” the ACB official said on condition of anonymity.
Another ACB official said that around half-a-dozen policemen, including some station house officers from Dausa have contacted the anti-graft bureau and shared how they were forced to partake in the extortion racket allegedly being run by Agrawal as SP Dausa.
“These policemen told us that the accused IPS, who was posted as SP Dausa, used to give them daily targets to extort money. We are recording their statements too,” the second ACB official said.
HT has also accessed an advisory by former director general of police (DGP) Bhupendra Singh to Agrawal, expressing dissatisfaction with the SP’s functioning.
“It has come to the notice of the undersigned that as superintendent of police, Dausa district, your integrity is suspect and that you are indulging in conduct unbecoming of an IPS officer and which is also in violation of All India Service Conduct Rules. You are hereby advised to discharge your responsibilities diligently, without compromising on integrity and ethical standards, failing which the undersigned would be compelled to make such mention in your Annual Performance Appraisal System (APAR),” read the advisory written by Singh to Agrawal.
Meanwhile, Agarwal was presented before a local court in Jaipur, which remanded him to judicial custody.
Also Read: IPS officer Manish Agarwal suspended by Rajasthan govt; professes innocence
Agrawal’s lawyer has denied all the allegations levelled against him. “Neither my client was caught taking a bribe nor has the agency any evidence to prove he demanded a bribe. The so-called middleman Neeraj Meena used to meet him during the lockdown in connection with three instances of robbery,” he said.
Agrawal, who had taken charge as the commandant of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in Jaipur last month, was arrested from his office on Tuesday.
Earlier on January 14, two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) Pinky Meena (Bandikui) and Pushkar Mittal (Dausa) and one Neeraj Meena, an alleged middleman employed by Manish Agrawal, were arrested in the same case.
During investigation, it was found that the IPS officer was allegedly involved in a bid to extort money from a road construction contractor, in connivance with the SDMs named above and the middleman. The lid was blown off the racket after a complaint was filed against some of the accused officers.
