Patna: The Bihar government has dismissed 21 policemen from service for indulging in corruption, robbery, theft and misconduct in what is being described as the first such harsh action against the security personnel.
The action comes after months of investigation following complaints against their misconduct.
“The action was taken after the completion of the investigation. A total of 21 cops have been dismissed for corruption and misconduct,” Patna’s senior superintendent of police Manavjit Singh Dhillon told the media on Wednesday.
Of the 21 cops, one Ved Nidhi alias Lali was accused of robbing five kilos of gold bars from a Rajkot-based jeweller Ashish Bhaijani more than three years ago on a busy street of Patna in alleged connivance with some gangsters. Ashish has been in the business of collecting gold bars from local jewellers and converting them into ornaments as per requirements.
The jeweller carrying gold bars in a bag was travelling by a rickshaw to catch a train for Rajkot (Gujarat) at the Patna railway junction in the evening when four policemen riding a car intercepted him at gun-point, branding him as a gold smuggler, and took the jeweller to an unknown location. Thereafter, they snatched the bag of gold and fled the scene. The dismissed cop Lali was said to be the mastermind of this robbery.
Similarly, two other sacked constables were found guilty of stealing a motorbike from a police station in Patna and fuel from a government vehicle.
Three other policemen have been dismissed for indulging in corruption and misappropriation of government funds.
As part of its crackdown on corruption, the Bihar government has registered 951 cases against officials. The government has also initiated some drastic measures which include confiscating the property and bungalows of the officials and turning them into schools and orphanages. So far, the bungalows of at least four top government officials have been converted into schools and orphanages.
The remaining cops were dismissed for misconduct and drawing salary without joining duty.
