AIADMK-EC bribery case: 7 cops suspended for letting Sukesh Chandrasekhar roam in Bengaluru

Sukesh Chandrasekhar was arrested with AIADMK leader T T V Dinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe an EC official to get the party’s ‘two leaves’ symbol for the bypoll to R K Nagar Assembly seat.(File photo)

Seven personnel posted with the 3rd battalion of Delhi Armed Police have been suspended for allegedly allowing the ‘middleman’ in the AIADMK-Election Commission bribery case to roam freely in Bengaluru where he had been taken for a court hearing. After an inquiry, police are likely to book them under Prevention of Corruption Act and might also dismiss them from service, said sources.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar was arrested with AIADMK leader T T V Dinakaran for allegedly trying to bribe an EC official to get the party’s ‘two leaves’ symbol for the bypoll to R K Nagar Assembly seat.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) and Delhi Police spokesman Dependra Pathak said, “An inquiry was ordered Thursday. The seven police personnel of 3rd Battalion will remain suspended till the inquiry is over. Delhi Police will take strictest possible action.”

Sources said a similar complaint received nearly four months ago alleged that a team that escorted Sukesh to Coimbatore relaxed rules for him. “After reaching there, they allowed him to make calls from their phones. They stayed at a hotel and allowed him to meet associates for business deals. The complaint was made with top Delhi Police officers. Immediately, the inter-state cell launched a probe,” sources added. DCP, inter-state cell, Rajesh Deo refused to comment.

Sources said a team of 3rd Battalion, which went to receive Sukesh and the escort team members at Hazrat Nizamuddin station Thursday, found only three policemen. “They informed their reserve inspector, who tried to approach an ASI in charge of the escort team, but his phone was not reachable. After two hours, they were able to contact a member of the team, who told that they were at Delhi Cantonment and were travelling in a SUV. They were asked to stop. Later, Sukesh was sent to Tihar jail in a police van,” a source added.

During the probe, police found that the escort team of seven members was asked to travel by train to Bengaluru, but they took a flight, said sources, adding that four members of the team accompanied Sukesh on the return flight. Sukesh was escorted by a team to Coimbatore and Bengaluru from Delhi for court hearings between October 9 and 16, said sources.

“Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has also received a report from the I-T department, which conducted a raid at a service apartment in Bengaluru on October 11. It states that Sukesh was allowed to roam freely and conduct business deals while he was in Bengaluru,” sources said.

The report, sources said, also mentions the statement of one of the policemen on the escort team, claiming that the team reached Bengaluru on October 11 and stayed with Sukesh at KSR Bengaluru station till evening. They left the station in the evening and reached the service apartment where the raid was conducted, the policeman has said, according to the report. But Sukesh has said in his statement that they reached Bengaluru on October 9 and two policemen stayed with him in the service apartment, while the others stayed at a hotel, sources said.