The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru City police, feted as an elite special crime fighting unit of the city, has been headless for 100 days now.
S.D. Sharanappa, who headed CCB last, was transferred out on September 5, 2023, less than a year after he took over in November 2022. Since then, there has been intense lobbying among officers to get the coveted Joint Commissioner (Crime), Bengaluru City post. However, the State government has inexplicably delayed posting an officer to the key post by over three months now. “It is sort of unprecedented that the CCB has gone headless for over three months now,” said a senior city official, who did not wish to be named.
The incumbent government posted Abdul Ahad and Srinivas Gowda as two Deputy Commissioners (Crime) to CCB, but not a chief. In the interim, N. Satheesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner (West), Bengaluru City, is holding additional charge of CCB.
Presently, Ramesh Banoth, Commissioner of Police (Mysuru), Chandragupta, DIGP (Western Range), Amith Singh, who has returned from a Central posting, are the frontrunners for the post, sources in the department said. However, the lobbying has been hard and leading to inordinate delay in posting, sources said.
The CCB that has five specialised units - Organised Crime Wing, Women Protection Wing, Anti Narcotics Wing, Economic Offences Wing, and Special Enquiry - had been the go-to unit for any complex tough cases in the city, but has taken a hit of late, sources within the city police said. The last major case handed over to the CCB and detected successfully was the death threat letters to writers in the State.
“Of late, all major cases, including for instance, hoax bomb threat emails to nearly 70 schools and the sex determination and abortion racket were being probed by the local police and not referred to the CCB,” a senior official pointed out. “What is the point of having a specialised crime fighting unit if these cases are also being probed by the local police?” he asked. The sex determination and abortion racket was later referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
However, multiple officials pointed out that the gradual institutional decline of the CCB began much earlier and has been in the making for at least five years now. “CCB’s strength was its officers who had long postings in CCB and had specialised in fighting particular crimes. They knew the pulse of the city. All of them were transferred out and some have retired. None of the officers who came to CCB later were allowed to have long postings,” a senior official said.
CCB was also rocked by several corruption scandals in the last few years and several officers suspended. “CCB badly needs a reboot and the quality of leadership is key for that,” the official said.
