CP dismisses two police officers for taking ₹2.3L bribes
Police officers said that usually such officers are suspended for a while, but in this case, CP Deven Bharti chose to dismiss the officers to send a strong message against bribery to the rest of the department
MUMBAI: Taking a tough stand against corruption, the Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti has dismissed a senior inspector and a sub-inspector from the Wadala TT police station, after they were caught accepting a ₹2.3 lakh bribe two months ago.
Police officers said that usually such officers are suspended for a while, but in this case, Bharti chose to dismiss the officers to send a strong message against bribery to the rest of the department.
A senior police officer said, “We have dismissed Chandrakant Sarode, 52, who was the senior police inspector of Wadala TT police station, and Rahul Waghmode, 37, a sub inspector at the same police station.” The officer added that the proposal to dismiss the two officers came from deputy commissioner of police, Zone IV, Ragasudha R, and taking a strict stand against corruption, Bharti then forwarded the proposal to the office of the Director General of Police (DGP), Rashmi Shukla. The duo were then dismissed from the Mumbai Police.
In September, the anti-corruption bureau’s (ACB) city unit had arrested Sarode and Waghmode for allegedly demanding and accepting ₹2.3 lakh from a man to omit his daughter’s name as an accused in an assault case. The police said the dispute had been over a community hall in Matunga East area.
On September 7, two groups had a fight about the possession of a community hall. One party came to the police to complain about the case, and the second party threatened to frame the complainant’s daughter in the case too.
Waghmode then demanded ₹50,000 for omitting the daughter’s name from the FIR, and through him Sarode too demanded ₹5 lakh. On September 10, Waghmode received ₹20,000, and after negotiations Sarode settled on accepting ₹4 lakh.
“Totally both of them accepted ₹2.3 lakh, which included the first installment for Sarode and the final one for Waghmode,” said the police. However, once the complainant refused to continue paying them, he approached the ACB and told them about the matter. The police then conducted an operation, where the complainant went to pay the rest of the bribe, and the police arrested the two cops red-handed.
