11 cops suspended for extortion

RANCHI: The Koderma superintendent of police suspended 11 policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector, for forcibly collecting money from heavy vehicles plying on the RanchiPatna national highway 31.

After getting complaints about extortion of money in the Rajaouli stretch of the national highway, SP Kranti Kumar Gadhedeshi asked additional SP Manilal Mandal to keep a watch on policemen on patrol. The SP suspended the policemen after the ASP found the complaints true on August 10.

“Six home guard jawans, four district armed policemen and ASI Anil Kumar have been suspended. We have been getting complaints (about extortion) for the past many months. I conducted a raid earlier but no one was caught that time,” the SP said.

Thousands of heavy vehicles transport goods between Jharkhand and Bihar the NH 31 every day. The SP got complaints about policemen extorting money from drivers at many places in the Rajaouli valley, including Bagitand check post, on the Jharkhand-Bihar border.

A suspended home guard alleged that the ASP beat him up and used abusive language during his inspection.

The SP said, “The home guard is making the allegations fearing that he may be dismissed from job.”

A few months back, the then Koderma deputy commissioner removed nine home guards after he found them taking money truck drivers.