Cops accused of pocketing Rs 25 lakh absconding

FOR THE last 10 days, several teams of the Delhi Police have been looking for four suspended policemen, including the former Station House Officer of Jahangirpuri police station, for allegedly pocketing old currency notes worth about Rs 25 lakh recovered from a garbage collector during a raid last month.

DCP (northwest district) Milind Dumbere confirmed that the four policemen are absconding and efforts are on to track them down. “A case was registered against suspended inspector Naresh Kumar, a head constable and two constables under IPC sections 403, 408 and 120B and several sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” he said.

Sources said the policemen went “missing” days after a case was registered and investigation was transferred to the District Investigationunit.“initially,theinvestigating officer served notices on them, asking them to join the probe, but there was no response. Their phones were unreachable and could not not be found at home,” police sources said.

The case came to light last month when Titu, a garbage collector,toldpolicethatshokumar took about Rs 25 lakh from him following a raid at his residence. “Titu said on November 12, he foundrs26.7lakhinoldcurrency from a trash in Pitam Pura and tookithome.hesharedthisinformationwhiledrinkingwithsome friends, one of who told a woman in the area. The woman approached a beat constable, and a raidwasconductedattitu’shome at11pmonnovember15.thepoliceofficerspocketedthecash,titu alleged.” police sources said.

Investigation revealed that the beat staff approached by the woman initially promised her “10 per cent as reward”. But when the womandidn’tgethercut,sheapproached the DCP, sources said.

Following the raid, Titu was taken to Jahangirpuri police station. “He claimed in his statement that police gave him Rs 1.3 lakh and asked him to leave the city. On November 18, he boarded the train for his native place. He was detained on November 23 and brought to Delhi,” police sources said, adding that the investigation was conducted by additional deputy commissioner of police (northwest district) Vijayanta Arya.