‘To not book man for rape’: Cop held for accepting bribe

GURUGRAM: A constable has been arrested for demanding and receiving a bribe from a man, booked for alleged dowry harassment, for not adding rape sections to the First Information Report (FIR) registered on his wife’s complaint.

According to the police, a team from Haryana’s State Vigilance Bureau from Faridabad on Friday arrested the constable, Kalpana (who goes by her first name), posted at the women’s police station at NIT.

Narender Kadian, deputy commissioner of police (NIT), said Shabbir, who was booked for dowry harassment in the first week of November, had approached the vigilance department after Kalpana started demanding ₹35,000 for not adding Section 376 (rape) to the FIR.

Kadian said Shabbir had already paid ₹20,000 to the constable but she was demanding ₹15,000 more and had asked him to meet her on Friday at the police station with the remaining amount.

“After the complaint, officers formed a team and laid a trap to arrest Kalpana red-handed,” he said.

Shabbir’s wife had filed the initial complaint against him after he had assaulted and her and was pressing her to bring dowry, said police.

Police said they told Shabbir to meet the constable at her office on Friday and bring the remaining payment of ₹15,000.

“Plain-clothed vigilance sleuths were deployed outside the office and asked the complainant to give them a missed call while handing over the bribe. The team caught Kalpana red-handed while she was accepting the bribe,” said Kadian.

A case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Kalpana, said police, adding that she was produced before court on Friday and sent to judicial custody.

Deputy superintendent of police Meena Kumari of the vigilance bureau had laid the trap after receiving the complaint and asked the team to sprinkle phenolphthalein power on the ₹500 denomination notes that were given as bribe money.