Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance Thursday said it has apprehended an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police and a home guard driver for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a person for returning two mobile phones that were recovered after being stolen.
The accused were identified as ASI Rajesh Kullu and home guard driver Jyoti Ranjan Behera, both attached to Mancheswar police station in Bhubaneswar.
According to a Vigilance officer, Kullu had allegedly accepted Rs 30,000 from the complainant June 12 for returning one of the two mobile phones.
When the complainant later requested the return of the second mobile phone, Kullu allegedly demanded another Rs 20,000 and directed him to hand over the money to Behera and collect the phone from him, the officer said.
The complainant subsequently approached Odisha Vigilance, following which a trap was laid Wednesday evening.
Vigilance Superintendent of Police (Bhubaneswar division) Saroj Kumar Samal said, “After receiving a call from the complainant, the ASI sent the home guard to collect the cash of Rs 20,000. When our officers chased him, the home guard tried to flee the spot with the bribe money, but the Vigilance officers went after him and nabbed him, but by that time, he had thrown the cash at an isolated place.”
“When we conducted chemical examination of his hand, we caught him red-handed. Later, we recovered the cash. Both the ASI and the home guard were arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” the SP said.
Meanwhile, the Commissionerate Police, taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, dismissed ASI Rajesh Kullu from service with immediate effect and issued notices to Behera and another home guard, who was also allegedly involved in the bribe case, a police officer said.
“It has been reiterated on several occasions that there shall be zero tolerance towards corruption or any form of malpractice in the Commissionerate Police. Any officer or personnel found indulging in such acts will face strict and exemplary action in accordance with law and service rules,” a statement said.
Further investigation is underway, officials added.