BAREILLY: A sub-inspector was caught red-handed on Saturday in the Suar area of Rampur while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a woman who had complained that she had been gang-raped by her two brothers-in-law and harassed for dowry.
The survivor’s family alleged that they faced great difficulty in even registering an FIR in the matter, which was registered only after the intervention of an ADG-rank official.
Even after the FIR was filed, progress in the case was slow. The woman’s brother complained to the anti-corruption department that the SI assigned to their case, Shokendra Kumar, was delaying the probe and asking for money to go ahead. A team from the anti-corruption cell in Moradabad laid a trap and caught Kumar while accepting the money in a busy market in Suar. The SI was suspended by Rampur SP Ankit Mittal.
The rape survivor’s brother said, “First we had to face great difficulty in getting the FIR registered in my sister’s case. We had to approach the ADG Avinash Chandra. Then the SI who was assigned the case was not taking the investigation seriously. When I questioned him about it, he demanded Rs 20,000 as bribe. I am happy that swift action has been taken on our complaint.”
Anju Bhadauria, in-charge, anti-corruption unit, Moradabad, said, “We found that the SI had not even produced the survivor in court for recording her statement under section 164 of CrPC. We have registered an FIR against him at Civil Lines police station in Rampur and are questioning him.”
Additional SP Sansaar Singh added, “A departmental enquiry has been initiated against the official. We will transfer the case to some other officer and ensure the probe is completed soon.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
