PATNA: A sub-inspector Shrinarayan Singh was arrested from his residential quarter inside the Rosera police station premises in Samastipur on Wednesday soon after he allegedly extorted Rs 9500 to release a bike of a liquor smuggler which was taken away from his house during a raid.
Samastipur SP Manavjit Singh Dhillon said that an FIR against Singh has been registered with Rosera police station for money extortion and under relevant sections of The Prevention of Corruption Act.
He said that the raid on his quarter took place between 12.15am to 1am on Wednesday.
“The SI was posted at the Rosera police station.
He was arrested from his quarter and sent to Muzaffarpur for production before a vigilance court there,” he said adding the SI has confessed to extort money.
SP said that Singh had picked up the bike of one Basant Mandal from his residence on Monday as the latter one is continuously evading arrest in a liquor smuggling case registered with Rosera police station on July 27 last year.
“The SI had conducted a raid at Mandal’s residence.
Though Mandal escaped but Singh brought his bike to the police station and got it parked in a shed below his quarter.
He didn’t make a station diary entry of the bike being brought at the station premises,” SP said.
Dhillon said that Mandal later contacted the SI to which he demanded Rs 25000 for releasing the bike.
“One Suraj Kumar started negotiating with Singh on Mandal’s behalf.
He also brought the matter into light before us.
Deal was finalised for Rs 9500,” he said.
The SP said that Suraj in the meantime provided call recordings to police for authentication of the money demanded by the SI.
“Currencies were photographed with their serial numbers visible.
Suraj handed them over to Singh inside the quarter at around 12.30am on Wednesday in presence of independent witnesses.
Soon after money exchanged hands, a raid was conducted on his quarter and the currencies were recovered and matched,” 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 hardly three years’ service was left with Singh who 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 IMFL smuggled from Haryana and West Bengal were seized from a pick-up truck while being unloaded at Mahisar tola under Rosera police station on the night of July 27 last year.