Two policemen — a sub-inspector with Kashmere Gate police station and a head constable with the Special Cell — have been arrested for allegedly stealing 1,355 kg of sandalwood from a godown in north-west Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy.
Recce conducted
The alleged theft took place on Tuesday evening when sub-inspector Anuj and head constable Manoharlal, along with two others, visited the godown. They conducted a recce first and returned later to take away the sandalwood.
The godown is owned by one Mohammad Ikhlaq. While Deputy Commissioner of Police (north-west) Milind Dumbere confirmed the arrests, he did not disclose the identities of the other two accused.
The guard at the godown, Maniram, reportedly told the police that he was in the godown with his 11-year-old nephew when two men knocked. “One of them was wearing a police uniform. He asked me if the godown belonged to Tiku, to which I answered with the name of the owner. Two others came soon after, one of whom was in a uniform. They wanted details about the godown,” he said in his complaint.
‘They took my SIM card’
Later that evening, the four men returned, and parked their car and tempo outside the godown. “They asked me where the sandalwood was kept. When I didn’t reply, they took away my phone. After breaking a window, they saw the sandalwood in a locked room. When I told them I didn’t have the keys, they broke open the lock and loaded the sandalwood in the tempo. Before leaving, they took away my SIM card,” said Maniram.
The car used by the two policemen was identified on the basis of the guard’s statement. While Anuj was tracked down to Kashmere Gate police station, Manoharlal was arrested after interrogating Anuj. He was probing the sensational murder of gangster Monu Dariyapur. While a hunt is on for the other two accused, more policemen are likely to be involved in the robbery.
Cops in hot water
In another instance, three policemen were arrested on charges ranging from robbery to corruption. The department has also dismissed absconding Crime Branch cop Aslup Khan, who was wanted for ATM robberies in south India.
Assistant Sub-Inspector Raja Ram was arrested by the CBI for allegedly demanding a bribe in a dowry case. He was posted at Dabri police station in south-west Delhi. The CBI caught him red-handed after laying a trap based on the complaint received by the victim. Recently, a policeman was arrested twice on charges of extortion on the pretext of issuing traffic challans.
