An Assistant sub-inspector and the driver of a Hoysala patrolling vehicle attached to Rajagopalanagar police station have been suspended on charges of allegedly accepting a bribe from a roadside vendor, which was caught on camera on Wednesday.
A passer-by noticed their act, confronted them, and recorded the video objecting to their behaviour. As people started gathering, the duo sped away in the vehicle. The video went viral on social media, prompting the Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Division, to order a probe.
The duo had reportedly collected a food parcel and water bottle from a roadside hotel while other roadside vendors approached them and handed over the cash.
Reacting to the incident, Saidulu Adavath, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North Division, said that the duo was suspended based on the report filed by the jurisdictional inspector, who had conducted a probe and submitted a report. Following their suspension, the jurisdictional ACP has been asked to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report. The accused in this case did not have a body-worn camera, officials said.
It may be recalled that City Police Commissioner B. Dayananda, who brought about many changes in the Hoysala beat system to improve the response time to a record of 7 minutes, also made it mandatory for the ASI in charge of the Hoysala patrolling vehicle to be armed and have body-worn cameras to ensure transparency.
