2 Panaji cops extort Rs 5,000 from couple,suspended

Panaji: Two cops attached to the Panaji police station have been suspended after they not only allegedly extorted money from an adult unmarried couple with moral-policing intimidation, but also made a deluge of calls to the woman. The couple were spending time at Dona Paula. The police personnel demanded money from the couple by threatening to inform on them to their families.
After extorting Rs 5,000 from the couple, the cops attempted to establish contact with the woman.
Superintendent of police (SP) North Goa Nidhin Valsan told TOI, “I have suspended a constable and a head constable for approaching an unmarried couple, which was not in their jurisdiction and I have ordered a departmental enquiry.” Valsan added, “Police personnel tried to establish contact with the lady, but the lady did not attend to the calls.”
The incident occurred two months ago, but the couple did not approach police to lodge their complaint against their accosters. When the cops continually called the woman, she approached a senior police officer and narrated the ordeal.
The senior officer immediately contacted the North Goa SP. “After the incident was brought to our notice, we immediately contacted the couple and persuaded them to file a complaint,” Valsan said. “Later, the deputy superintendent of police, Panaji, was ordered to conduct the preliminary inquiry into the incident.”
Valsan said that the preliminary inquiry established the misconduct of the police personnel and they were suspended. Police said that cops have the authority to make inquiries if they find a person suspicious, but once the suspicions are allayed, the cops are supposed to move on. But in this case, the cops took money from the couple and attempted to contact the woman.
Police said that in the case of the couple, no offence was made out and the cops behaved unacceptably. Police said that the cops took money, which they had no right to.
“We want to send a strong message to police personnel with this action that Goa police will not tolerate any misconduct,” Valsan said.
Goa police will take further action against the personnel based on the findings of the departmental inquiry.