Lucknow: They are said to be enforcers of law and order. However, for once some policemen in Uttar Pradesh decided to go the other way. Four policemen in Uttar Pradesh have been arrested for allegedly robbing a jeweller. They did so under the pretext of a checking drive on a highway in Gorakhpur. The four policemen were posted in Basti district, which is 200 km from here. Two informants who helped the policemen track the jeweller before making their move have also been arrested. Sub-inspector Dharmendra Yadav and three other constables posted at the same police station in Basti have been identified as the accused, an official statement said.
The jeweller and his assistant had taken a bus from Gorakhpur to Lucknow Wednesday. The four policemen, still in their uniform, stopped the bus on the highway that goes to this city. They boarded the bus and asked the jeweller and his assistant to get down under the pretext of checking them. The two were then taken to an isolated place and were robbed, the police said.
Gorakhpur police said they have recovered Rs 19 lakh in cash; gold and silver worth Rs 16 lakh and a car used in the crime. During questioning, the police said the four accused were also involved in a similar crime. They had then posed as customs officers and robbed a jeweller.
The four accused will face charges under the stringent National Security Act, the police said. All the four will be sacked from the police, Gorakhpur police chief Jogendra Kumar said in a statement.