Cop sought Rs1 cr bribe from Khan: RR

Justifying the suspension of a senior police officer Ashok Deshbhratar, the home minister RR Patil said that the officer had demanded a bribe of Rs1 crore to make Ali’s stay in custody comfortable.

Justifying the suspension of a senior police officer Ashok Deshbhratar, the home minister RR Patil said that the officer had demanded a bribe of Rs1 crore to make Ali’s stay in custody comfortable.

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Patil said that Deshbhratar was the DCP of Zone 3 then and had demanded bribe to offer Khan all comforts during his police custody in the fake passport case in 2008.

Deshbhratar had conducted a sting operation to expose nexus between politicians and Pune businessman Hasan Ali Khan. Patil said Deshbhratar was suspended following the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) recommendation.

The CID inquiry into the CD episode recommended that the officer be sacked from the police force under Article 311 of the Constitution and a criminal case be filed against him under Section 500 (defamation) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC and Section 3 of Incitement to Disaffection Act 1922.

“We will hear his side in a departmental inquiry. He will be placed under suspension pending inquiry,” he said. On Tuesday, the Opposition alleged that Deshbhratar was suspended because he wanted to intervene in the Supreme Court.

Last year, a BJP legislator Devendra Fadnavis had produced a CD, in which Deshbhratar was shown interrogating Khan.

During interrogation, Khan was shown boasting of his high-profile links and telling the officer that the then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh and RR Patil zeroed in on Hasan Gafoor’s name as the city police commissioner at a meeting held at Juhu Centaur hotel.