Three police personnel, including two head constables attached to the Alpettai check post here, have been suspended for dereliction of duty and allegedly taking away ₹20 lakh in cash from a person during a vehicle check on Friday night.
According to police, Jalal, employed as a driver with a Chennai-based jeweller was taking ₹50 lakh in cash. He was travelling in an omni bus from Chennai to Nagapattinam with the cash when a police team intercepted the vehicle at the Alpettai check post.
The cops, identified as head constables Ravichandran and Selvaraj and Anthonisamy, a constable attached to the Cuddalore Armed Reserve police, questioned Jalal about the source of cash. The trio reportedly took ₹20 lakh from Jalal and asked him to produce any valid document for the cash being carried by him.
The issue was brought to the notice of the higher-ups and Superintendent of Police C. Vijayakumar. A team conducted inquiries and seized the cash which was found dumped in a bush close to the Prohibition Enforcement Wing check post at Alpettai. The three have been suspended and a case has been booked under Section 102 (power of police to seize certain property) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, said a senior police official.
Police sources said the jeweller was on the way to Cuddalore. The cash will be handed over to the Revenue Divisional Officer if the jeweller failed to produce necessary documents to prove his claim.
