In a major embarrassment to the Punjab police, a station house officer (SHO) and his gunman, a head constable (HC), were arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh from a Ferozepur-based heroin smuggler to let him off after he was arrested in relation to smuggling of heroin, on Tuesday.
SHO Baljinder Singh and head constable Jatider Singh of the Harike police station have been arrested and booked by the investigation cell at the same police station, police said.
As per information, the SHO had arrested three Ferozepur-based heroin smugglers with 520 gram of heroin, valued at around Rs. 2.5 crore in the international market, on September 30. However, the SHO showed the arrest of only two persons in the first information report (FIR).
As per the daily crime dairy, Tarn Taran DSP (investigation) Ashwini Kumar interrogated the two accused —Sukhdev Singh and Pargat Singh of Ferozepur—and the duo confessed to the police that the SHO and the head constable had released their third accomplice, Jagdev Singh, after accepting Rs 1.5 lakh as bribe.
SP Tilak Raj said a case under Sections 7, 13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and NDPS Act had been registered against the duo at Harike police station.
{{/usCountry}}SP Tilak Raj said a case under Sections 7, 13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and NDPS Act had been registered against the duo at Harike police station.
{{/usCountry}}After getting a tip-off about heroin smuggling on Saturday, the Harike police had laid a naka near Akalia farmhouse in Booh village. Sources said the police had arrested Sukhdev Singh, Pargat Singh and Jagdev Singh. The police also recovered a Maruti Suzuki Alto car, which was being used by the accused to smuggle the drugs.
After arrest of three accused, Jagdev offered money to the police and the SHO let him off and also didn’t mention his name in the FIR, sources said.