Thursday, May 16, 2024 | Last Update : 06:46 PM IST
3 constables were feted a day before arrest
The policemen had played a key role in cracking a chain-snatching case.
Mumbai: A day before they were booked for their suspected involvement in a robbery case, the three constables attached to the detection unit of the Naya Nagar police station were basking in the glory of playing an instrumental role in cracking 17 chain snatching cases.
The three policemen — Prashant Vispute, R. Sinde and Mustakeen Pathan — and a local estate agent had allegedly siphoned off demonetised currency amounting to Rs 8.5 lakh from a woman last week. The police personnel during routine patrolling had accosted some people, including the woman carrying banned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes amounting to Rs 20 lakh in Mira Road on Sunday. Instead of reporting the matter to their higher-ups and the Income Tax (IT) department, the policemen let them off which according to them was done after conducting proper verifications.
Incidentally, the matter unfolded less than 24 hours after the Thane (rural) SP Mahesh Patil conducted a press conference to announce the cracking of the chain snatching cases. In her complaint the woman who is a resident of Malad, has alleged that Rs 8.5 lakh had been siphoned off from the bag containing cash for a property deal. However, the accused cops in their defence has claimed to have officially inked details of the incident in the police station’s general diary.
The policemen as per the norms should have alerted the IT officials empowered to investigate and ascertain the source of money, check its legitimacy and take subsequent action accordingly if anyone was found guilty of evading tax or accumulating the cash by ill-gotten means. While a case under section 392 (robbery) of the IPC has been registered, Deputy SP of Shahpur has been directed to conduct further investigations into the case and submit his report.
In the press conference held on Thursday, senior police officers had mentioned the key roles played by the three policemen in busting 17 chain-snatching cases. Two days later, on Saturday, the trio was booked under charges related to robbery.
