GRP officer accused of stealing seized ganja, probe begins

BHUBANESWAR: State police have begun an inquiry against the inspector in charge (IIC) of government railway police (GRP) station in Bhubaneswar, Bharat Sahoo, in connection with the alleged theft of ganja seized from his custody in August last year. The complainant in the case was a havildar of the same station.
On February 29, the intelligence wing of state police wrote to the ADGP (railways), Pranabindu Acharya, to conduct an inquiry against Sahoo. The letter said the intelligence wing had received a complaint and two photographs as evidence against Sahoo from GRP havildar, Dinabandhu Sahu.
“Please find the original petition (complaint) and two colour photographs received from havildar Dinabandhu Sahu against inspector Bharat Sahoo of Bhubaneswar GRP station. Action as deemed proper may please be taken at your end,” reads the intelligence wing’s letter.
In the petition, havildar Dinabandhu wrote that he and five of his colleagues found three bags containing ganja weighing 21kg from Utkal Express when they were deployed at Bhubaneswar station on the night of August 3, 2019. “The ganja was seized from the possession of an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Bhubaneswar GRP station. We took the seized ganja to the GRP station. IIC Bharat Sahoo ordered us to keep the seized bags in his chamber. After two or three days, the IIC gave the bags to the ASI, from whose possession we had seized the ganja,” the petition said.
In the complaint, the havildar also accused the GRP station’s IIC and the ASI of having helped ganja smugglers transport the substance in trains from Bhubaneswar. “We are inquiring into the charges against the GRP station’s inspector. An SP has been assigned to conduct the probe and submit the inquiry report,” Acharya told TOI.
Sahoo dismissed the allegations. “I am not involved in any wrongdoing,” he said.