Two railway policemen suspended for extorting money, rings from passenger

The Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner suspended two railway policemen on Wednesday for allegedly extorting money from a passenger.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) commissioner suspended two railway policemen on Wednesday for allegedly extorting money from a passenger.

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Naik Prakash Tawade (45) and constable Suryakant Bodare (38) were attached to the Dadar GRP.

GRP commissioner Tukaram Chavan said the suspension orders were issued on April 17 after an inquiry found the two guilty of extorting Rs 12,800 and jewellery from Andheri businessman Dhaval Pandya (28).

“It is a lesson for others, who indulge in illegal activities in spite of being a part of the force,” said Chavan.

A departmental inquiry will follow. The GRP said though there was no complaint, they learnt about the incident through sources. “I ordered an inquiry though Pandya was not ready to register a complaint. We pressured him to record his statement,” said Chavan.

On December 25, Pandya and his friend Karan Damani (27) were waiting to board the Chennai Express at Dadar.

“The accused approached Pandya and told him that his cellphone contained obscene data and that they will take action against him if he did not pay them,” Chavan said. “He gave them Rs 12,800 and two gold rings they had asked for.”

Damani called up his friends in the media and told what was happening. A crowd gathered at the platform. “Seeing the commotion, the accused returned the cash and jewellery,” an officer said.

Pandya approached the Matunga police before boarding the train. Based on the details given at the police station, the GRP got in touch with him.