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Three cops shed uniforms; loot villagers saying they are naxals
Maoists dressing up in police uniforms to kill, loot and plunder in the Maoist violence prone state was quite the done thing. But this role reversal by three cops who traded their uniforms for civvies to rob villagers has the police top brass in deep embarrassment, reports Ejaz Kaiser.
Maoists dressing up in police uniforms to kill, loot and plunder in the Maoist violence prone state was quite the done thing. But this role reversal by three cops who traded their uniforms for civvies to rob villagers has the police top brass in deep embarrassment.
Villagers of Bandrod in Dhamtari district, some 90 kms south east of Raipur, took courage into their hands and overpowered the armed policemen who robbed the villagers and held up vehicles passing by on Friday night. They were handed over to the police.
He suspended the three constables – Sudarshan Nishad, Subhash Marawi and Bhojlal Dhruv – were immediately suspended. They announced themselves to be naxallites and demanded money. They snatched anything that they could lay their hands on, Dhamitari Superintendent of Police Sheikh Arif Hussain told Hindustan Times.
“This is quite embarrassing and the three will be dismissed,” he said. The police is worried as it had launched Operation Green Hunt across the state to rid the people of the red menace on December 9.
The three policemen, on duty for local bodies elections that ended on December 23, were to report back to their respective police stations. Instead of heading back to their police stations, they masqueraded as naxallites to make some money. Villagers said this group began extorting money on Thursday and the following day they were caught.
Surely, this incident sure dented the counter propaganda of police when it was trying to build public opinion against the rebels, said a senior police officer posted at Police Headquarters.
State police spokesperson, IGP, RK Vij said they will be dealt with sternly so that no policemen dares to repeat such a misdeed.
Dhamtari, relatively free of naxal terror, had witnessed a surprise rebel attack killing 13 policemen on May 11.
