Two constables were arrested on Sunday for allegedly robbing a city advocate of Rs. 8 lakh in cash. The constables reportedly took advantage of the confusion surrounding demonetisation to rob the advocate.
This incident comes close on the heels of a retired Dy. SP. who allegedly used his police credentials to dupe businessmen trying to exchange Rs. 80 lakh in demonetised Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes for a commission.
On Saturday night, the advocate, Sukanya, was travelling from her residence in Padmanabhanagar to Majestic in an autorickshaw, reportedly, with a bag of Rs. 8 lakh in cash to hand over to a colleague.
In her complaint to the police, she said the cash was in Rs. 2,000 notes and she had withdrawn them from bank.
Vehicle stopped
Head constable Mayura and constable Raghava Kumar, attached to Girinagar police station, stopped the auto near Seetha Circle for a random check. When they found the bag of cash, they allegedly escorted the advocate to their patrolling vehicle under the pretext of conducting an enquiry.
Accomplice
There was a third person in the vehicle who was not an officer. The man, later identified as Krishnamurthy, reportedly teamed up with the constables for this robbery.
Sukanya alleged that they dropped her off at her house and sped away with the cash. Through the journey, she requested them to follow protocol and contact their seniors. But the two did not heed her request. “The moment she reached home, she contacted her seniors and filed a complaint with the city Police Commissioner, who, in turn, directed the jurisdictional Deputy Commissioner of Police to track the constables,” said a senior police officer.
Special team
When the constables failed to turn up for duty on Sunday, a special team, under the direction of DCP Sharanappa S.D., tracked them and arrested them. The police also arrested Krishnamurthy for abetting the constables. “Of Rs. 8 lakh, we recovered Rs. 1.3 lakh from Raghava Kumar and Rs. 5.4 lakh from Krishnamurthy, while efforts are on to recover the rest of the money,” a senior police officer said.
Both the constables have been suspended and the Assistant Commissioner of Police has been directed to investigate the case.
When police turn robbers
Senior police officials are concerned about the increasing number of incidents where the police are personally involved in crimes related to demonetisation.
“The police have a huge network of informers and are aware of who is hoarding black money or trying to exchange notes. They are using this information to line their own pockets, and this is a serious cause for concern,” said a senior police official.
“This could just be the tip of the ice-berg. There’s a high probability that there are more cases of policemen seizing cash, but they are not being reported as the victims, too, are dealing with unaccounted money,” said the official.
