2 home guards held in Nawada

PATNA: Two home guard jawans were arrested on Tuesday night for allegedly extorting money from truck drivers at Rajauli check post on NH-31 in Nawada district.

The arrested home guards were identified as Birju Pratap and Ramdev Prasad, both in their early 50s. The two were sent to the special court in Patna on Wednesday.

Sources said Nawada SP in charge Shafiullah Haque caught the home guards while illegally collecting fine from truck drivers at Rajauli check post late on Tuesday evening after carrying out inspections at Sirdalla and Meskaur police stations.

The SP told this newspaper on Wednesday that he received a call about the home guards extorting money at Rajauli check post. “When I reached the spot, the truck drivers drove away and the home guards went inside the control room. I confronted the two and asked to show their pockets. Each was carrying more than Rs2,300,” he said.

“The police also seized several plastic bags. The home guards confessed to their crime and were forwarded to special court in Patna,” he said. An FIR was lodged against the home guards at Rajauli police station.

Rajauli police station SHO R K Patil said the home guards were booked under several sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 384 (extortion) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) and Section 7A (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. “They have been accused of extorting money from vehicle owners,” he said.