Bengaluru: 5 cops extort businessman of Rs 3.2 lakh, suspended

BENGALURU: Five policemen from Sadashivanagar station, including two sub-inspectors, have been suspended on charges of extorting a person accused of running a cricket betting racket.
The suspended PSIs are Mohan and Basavaraju, while the constables are Shivakumar, Nagaraj and Parashuram. According to sources, Shivakumar passed on information to Mohan and Basavaraju that a businessman in Sahakar Nagar, Kodigehalli, was running a cricket betting racket and had accepted money for a T20 match between India and Pakistan (Asia Cup) played on September 4.
Accordingly, Shivakumar and the two PSIs raided the suspect's house on September 5 night and detained him. Later, they allegedly extorted Rs 3.2 lakh from him and let him off. Shivakumar and the other two constables are said to have received the cash from him.
However, the businessman, who claimed he did not run any betting racket, approached DCP (northeast) Anoop Shetty with a complaint against the five cops. Shetty brought the matter to the notice of DCP (central) Srinivas Gowda, under whose jurisdiction Sadashivanagar police station falls. Before contacting Srinivas Gowda, Shetty carried out an investigation into the allegations and found that something had gone wrong.
"A joint inquiry by the two DCPs revealed that the five policemen had indeed taken money - Rs 3.2 lakh - from the businessman. Though the SIs claimed the businessman was into cricket betting racket and the amount was seized from him, they failed to establish it with evidence," a senior cop said.
Srinivas Gowda said the five cops are under suspension, pending departmental probe.