Tamil Nadu: Cops held for stealing from police canteen

TRICHY: A sub-inspector and three woman cops attached to the Armed Reserve (AR) police force were arrested for siphoning off Rs 40 lakh worth materials from the Tamil Nadu police welfare canteen in Thanjavur.
District crime branch (DCB) police, Thanjavur, arrested sub-inspector of police Veerachami, woman grade 1 police constable Veerammal, women police Kokilavani and Valarmathi on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant and theft of properties in their possession under the IPC. A person who bought the goods from the cops was also arrested.
The police also booked a woman constable named Manosri. She was yet to be arrested. The police suspect the hands of two more cops in the crime. The action was taken based on a complaint by inspector of police, AR police, Vijayalakshmi on Friday. The crime came to light when Vijayalakshmi carried out the audit at the Tamil Nadu police welfare canteen in Thanjavur on August 8. The canteen has been procuring electrical, electronic goods, cosmetic and household items and selling them to police personnel and the retired staff of the department at concessional rates.
The usual audit by the inspector Vijayalakshmi revealed that the five police personnel conspired and stole goods worth Rs 40 lakh from the police canteen from February 2021 till the crime was detected. The police personnel sold the goods to an outsider. Acting on the complaint, the inspector of police, DCB, RP Kavitha took up the investigation and arrested the four police personnel.
The police said they had recovered a major portion of the stolen goods.