As local cops falter, police chief tells CCB to probe drug case involving constables of CM’s security team

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant took strong exception to the way the case was handled by the inspector of R.T. Nagar and his junior

A file photo of tree branches being removed as part of a facelift for a road near the personal residence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at R.T. Nagar in Bengaluru. The arrested constables were part of the police team handling security of the CM's residence.

The case of the two constables who were arrested on January 13 for selling drugs has been handed over to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for a detailed probe.

According to sources, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant took strong exception to the way the inspector of R.T. Nagar and his junior handled the case. He suspended them before initiating an inquiry against the duo while directing the CCB to conduct a detailed investigation into the case.

“There are a lot of loopholes in the investigation by Inspector Ashwath Gowda to dilute the case. Though the seized amount of the drug was commercial quantity, the investigating officer booked the two constables under ‘consumer’ to help them get out on bail. Moreover, the accused investigating officer Veerabhadra Swamy and Ashwath Gowda did not seek custody of the accused for questioning though it was an important case and needed in-depth investigation to ascertain their criminal background,” a senior police officer said .

The accused, Head Constable Shivakumar and Constable Santosh, were absent from duty for a long time. But, their seniors did not notice their absence, which amounts to a serious lapse. This is one of the reasons why the DCP (VVIP security), in charge of security at the CM’s personal residence at R.T. Nagar, has been issued a show cause notice, sources said .

Even the South division DCP has also been issued a show cause notice for failing to check the background of the (arrested) policemen before deploying them in the security team of the CM.

The CCB is probing the criminal links of the accused constables and negligence on the part of their seniors.

Two policemen were arrested on January 13 for allegedly selling drugs while on security duty near the residence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on 80 feet road at R.T. Nagar. Police had said Head Constable Shivakumar and Constable Santosh, attached to Koramangala police station, were caught red-handed by a Hoysala patrol team with two peddlers. Police had said that the two constables had 400 grams of marijuana in their possession at the time of their arrest.