The Odisha Vigilance on Thursday announced the arrest of an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police and a home guard driver for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a person to return two previously stolen mobile phones that had been recovered.
The accused officials have been identified as ASI Rajesh Kullu and home guard driver Jyoti Ranjan Behera, both of whom were posted at the Mancheswar police station in Bhubaneswar.
According to a Vigilance official, Kullu had initially taken Rs 30,000 from the complainant on June 12 as a condition for handing back the first of the two recovered mobile phones.
When the complainant subsequently requested the return of his second mobile phone, Kullu allegedly demanded an additional Rs 20,000, instructing him to deliver the cash to Behera and collect the device from him, the official added.
With no option left, the complainant alerted the Odisha Vigilance, prompting the anti-corruption wing to set up a trap on Wednesday evening.
Vigilance Superintendent of Police (Bhubaneswar division) Saroj Kumar Samal stated, “Following a phone call from the complainant, the ASI dispatched the home guard to pick up the Rs 20,000 cash. When our team moved in, the home guard attempted to escape from the scene with the bribe money. Our officers pursued and caught him, though he managed to toss the cash into an isolated spot just before his arrest.”
“When we conducted chemical examination of his hand, we caught him red-handed. Later, we recovered the cash. Both the ASI and the home guard were arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” the SP said.
In a swift fallout, the Commissionerate Police took suo motu cognisance of the incident and dismissed ASI Rajesh Kullu from service with immediate effect, while also issuing formal notices to Behera and a second home guard whose involvement is also suspected, a police officer noted.
“It has been reiterated on several occasions that there shall be zero tolerance towards corruption or any form of malpractice in the Commissionerate Police. Any officer or personnel found indulging in such acts will face strict and exemplary action in accordance with law and service rules,” a statement said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway against the accused officials, officials added.
