BENGALURU : Two policemen, who tried to strike a deal with drug peddlers while on duty at the Chief Minister's residence, were arrested by the RT Nagar police recently. The policemen attached to the Koramangala police station were allegedly demanding money from a drug peddler for not booking him.
Head Constable Shivakumar and Police Constable Santhosh are the arrested policemen. The alleged incident took place outside CM Basavaraj Bommai's private residence in RT Nagar, on January 13 evening.
The police said that a resident of the locality alerted the police control room about suspicious activity in an autorickshaw parked near the CM's residence around 6.30 pm. A Hoysala patrolling vehicle rushed to the spot and found two people sitting in the rickshaw and two men in police uniform talking to them. When the Hoysala staff enquired, the policemen claimed that they received information that the other two were drug peddlers and were questioning them.
400 gm of ganja seized
"They also said that the two policemen were demanding money from them. A team was sent to bring the two policemen, who initially refused to go to the police station, saying they were on duty at the CM's residence. After a probe, they admitted that they were trying to extort the drug peddlers," an officer said.
Probe revealed that Shivakumar and Santhosh, who were deputed to check vehicles in Koramangala police station limits more than a month ago, had stopped a Dunzo delivery boy.
"Though they could have booked him for an offence, they told him they would leave him if he agreed to share information if he comes across parcels containing drugs. The delivery boy agreed and they let him go," the officer said. A few days later, they got a call from the delivery boy saying that he had supplied a small amount of ganja to a girl.
"The police collected the details and location of the girl, from whom they collected details of the supplier after threatening her with a police case. Then, Shivakumar and Santhosh went to the house of drug peddlers in BTM Layout on the morning of January 13. They nabbed the duo and took away 400 gm of ganja from the house," the police added.
As they were deputed for guard duty at the CM’s residence, the policemen brought the drug peddlers with them in an autorickshaw belonging to the peddlers.
"Standing outside the CM's residence, they were threatening the peddlers that they either had to pay them or cases would be filed. For over five hours, both the parties could not arrive at a number. Meanwhile, a neighbour grew suspicious as the rickshaw was standing at the CM's residence for hours and alerted the police," an officer added.
The police have recovered the mobile phones and seized 400 gm of ganja from the accused.