PATNA/SAMASTIPUR: A sub-inspector of police was arrested from his residential quarter on the police station premises in Samastipur on Wednesday soon after he took Rs 9,500 as bribe to release a bike seized in a liquor smuggling case.
Samastipur SP Manavjit Singh Dhillon said an FIR against Shrinarayan Singh has been registered with Rosera police station under relevant sections of The Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The SI was posted at the Rosera police station.
He was sent to Muzaffarpur for production before a vigilance court there,” Dhillon said.
The SI has confessed to his crime.
The SP said Singh had picked up the bike of one Basant Mandal from his residence on Monday.
Mandal was evading arrest in a liquor smuggling case registered with Rosera police station on July 27 last year.
“The SI didn’t make a station diary entry of the bike being brought at the police station,” the SP said.
Dhillon said Mandal later contacted Singh, who demanded Rs25,000 for releasing the bike.
“One Suraj Kumar negotiated with Singh on Mandal’s behalf.
He also informed us before finalising the deal for Rs9500,” he said.
Suraj also shared the call recordings in which the SI was heard demanding money.
“The currency notes were photographed with their serial numbers visible.
Suraj handed them over to Singh at his quarter at around 12.30am in the presence of independent witnesses.
Soon after the money exchanged hands, a raid was conducted and Singh was arrested,” he said.
Rosera police station SHO Sitaram Prasad said the FIR against Singh has been registered on the basis of a written complaint of Suraj.
Prasad said Singh had hardly three years’ service left.
He had become SI from constable.
“Two accused in the liquor smuggling case which Singh was investigating were already arrested.
Only Mandal was evading arrest,” he said.
Prasad said 315 litres of IMFL smuggled from Haryana and West Bengal were seized from a pick-up van while being unloaded at Mahisar Tola under Rosera police station on the July 27 night last year.