How Rajasthan man lured 4 Ayodhya cops into bribery trap after 800-km journey

The four policemen allegedly travelled from Ayodhya to Sikar to collect the money.

The four Ayodhya policemen arrested in Rajasthan for allegedly accepting a ₹2.80 lakh bribe, in addition to ₹4 lakh earlier, were not expecting a trap when they travelled nearly 800 kilometres to Sikar, to collect the money.

According to Ayodhya officials, the preliminary probe revealed that the four policemen had initially demanded ₹8 lakh from the Sikar man to remove his name from a cyber fraud case. (HT Photo/Sakib Ali/Representational)

The man they allegedly went to collect the money from had already approached the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), turning their alleged plan to pocket the remaining bribe into an operation that ended with their arrest on Tuesday.

In an official statement shared with the media, the Ayodhya police said Ayodhya senior superintendent of police Gaurav Grover suspended all four policemen — sub-inspector Yashwant Singh and constables Pawan Kumar Tripathi, Sohan Lal and Gaurav Charg — late Tuesday evening and ordered a departmental inquiry following their arrest.

Preliminary probe reveals repeated bribery demands

According to Ayodhya officials, the preliminary probe revealed that the four policemen had initially demanded ₹8 lakh from the Sikar man to remove his name from a cyber fraud case registered at the Ayodhya cyber police station in 2024. The man allegedly paid ₹4 lakh, but instead of closing the matter, the policemen allegedly demanded another ₹4 lakh. It was at this point that the complainant decided to turn the tables. He allegedly told the policemen that he would arrange the remaining money and asked them to come to Sikar to collect it. At the same time, he approached the Rajasthan ACB and lodged a complaint against the policemen.

The ACB subsequently began verifying the allegations. During the verification, constable Gaurav Charg allegedly demanded the remaining ₹4 lakh from the complainant. The amount was later allegedly negotiated down to ₹2.80 lakh, according to officials. The four policemen allegedly travelled from Ayodhya to Sikar to collect the money. According to the ACB, they reached Sikar on August 16 and remained there for three days before allegedly collecting the negotiated amount on Tuesday.

What the policemen allegedly did not know was that the ACB had been tracking the operation.

Complainant alerts anti corruption bureau

After the money was allegedly handed over, the complainant alerted the ACB, following which its team intercepted the policemen while they were returning towards Ayodhya.

The four were arrested and ₹2.80 lakh was allegedly recovered from their vehicle. Officials said the departmental probe is expected to examine who knew about the journey, why four policemen travelled to Rajasthan, how their movement and three-day stay in Sikar were authorised or accounted for, and whether any other police personnel were aware of the alleged operation.

The inquiry will also examine the alleged demand for ₹8 lakh, the purported payment of ₹4 lakh by the complainant and the subsequent demand for the remaining amount that ultimately led to the ACB trap.

The ACB investigation will determine the criminal liability of the arrested policemen, while the departmental inquiry is expected to establish whether the alleged operation was confined to the four accused or had a wider chain of involvement. The four policemen are facing proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Rajasthan.