Two police personnel suspended over drunk driving, robbery case lapses

Pune: The Pune police on Thursday suspended a woman constable for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and a senior police inspector for lapses in handling a ₹30 lakh robbery case

Pune: The Pune police on Thursday suspended a woman constable for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and a senior police inspector for lapses in handling a ₹30 lakh robbery case.

Deputy commissioner of police (zone VI) Jeevan Beniwal suspended woman constable Ashwini Phulchand Kekan posted at Kalepadal Police Station after a case was registered against her at Manjari Police Station.

According to the police, Kekan was on casual leave on October 26 and 27 when she allegedly drove a car without a number plate, wearing her uniform, in Nandini Taklenagar, Manjari. She allegedly drove on the wrong side, cut off oncoming vehicles and crashed into a footpath. She allegedly abused motorists and residents. A video of the incident went viral on social media, and a medical examination confirmed alcohol consumption, police said.

In a separate action, police commissioner Amitesh Kumar suspended Market Yard Police Station senior inspector Vishwajit Bhausaheb Jagtap for allegedly recording a ₹30 lakh robbery as a missing-person case.

The robbery occurred on October 7, when an employee of a trader was allegedly robbed in the Market Yard area. The lapse came to light during an investigation into an attempted robbery in Salisbury Park, where two men allegedly assaulted a trader and tried to snatch a bag containing ₹4.5 lakh.

Swargate police examined footage from around 200 CCTV cameras and arrested Nihal Navnath Adagale, 19, and Yash Pravin Sonawane, 24. During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the Market Yard robbery.

A subsequent inquiry found that the incident had initially been recorded as a missing-person case. The commissioner suspended Jagtap, citing alleged negligence and conduct that brought disrepute to the force.