Truck driver shot at for refusing bribe, three constables arrested in Patna

PATNA: Three police constables were arrested on Thursday on charges of opening fire at the driver of a mini truck in Danapur locality after he refused to give them Rs 5,000 as bribe to allow the potato-laden vehicle cross the pontoon bridge over the Ganga.
The driver, Sonu Sao (22), a resident of Patlapur village under the Shahpur police station area in Patna district, was rushed to the Danapur referral hospital from where he was shifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment.Sonu’s statement was recorded on Thursday after his relatives took up the matter with senior police officers.
The three constables — Rajnish Kumar, Anirudh and Babloo — were arrested after an FIR was lodged with the Danapur police station against them on the directive of IG, Patna zone, Sanjay Singh. Patna SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma rushed to the site and inquired about the incident, which took place around 10pm on Wednesday.
Surprisingly, the three cops were not on duty on the site where the mini truck coming from diara area to Patna was intercepted by them. During investigation, it came to light that the trio was deputed at the sub-divisional court in Danapur and had reached the spot just to extort money.
“Had locals and shopkeepers not intervened, the cops would have killed the driver on the spot. He was rescued from the clutches of the constables after the intervention of local shopkeepers and some drivers,” said a close relative of Sonu at the PMCH.
IG Sanjay Singh said the constables were booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 386 (extortion), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
SSP Sharma said the accused constables were put under suspension and departmental proceedings initiated against them. A sub-inspector, Bipin Bihari, has been made investigating officer of the case lodged against the suspended cops.
Earlier, One Shailendra Kumar, a resident of Darihat in Rohtas district, had accused policemen deputed at the Dehri town police station, of demanding bribe for allowing a vehicle carrying his ailing brother to the hospital on Tuesday evening.
Bhanu Shekhar Prasad Singh, a senior functionary of the Bihar Truck Owners’ Association, cited a case of a transporter whose potato-laden truck was seized by the Areraj police in East Champaran district on Thursday. Singh said he has written to the chief secretary, requesting him look into the complaints of police highhandedness in the name of lockdown to check spread of coronavirus.