Team Herald
PONDA: A few days ago, Ponda police arrested a man for purchasing goods with fraudulently obtained money. Goods worth Rs 1 lakh were also recovered, but the police neglected to divulge that some items were recovered from the possession of a Ponda PSI and a police driver.
It is pertinent to note that Ponda police had arrested two men for allegedly forging documents to obtain Rs 2.50 lakh from a finance company. The duo used the money to purchase TV sets, a refrigerator and other electronic items, which they sold to other people.
PSI Rahul Naik was the investigating officer in the case, but surprisingly, the investigation was handed over to another PSI, who recovered goods worth Rs 1 lakh from one Lalit Kumar Solanki at Sadashiv Plaza on November 20.
Some of the goods were recovered from the possession PSI Naik and Maina-Curtorim police driver Mohan Harlankar, but Ponda police allegedly did not divulge this fact to the press. However, Ponda locals who saw the goods being recovered from Naik’s possession informed the media. It is suspected that Naik and Harlankar took the goods as bribe to settle the case against the Solanki and the two arrested.
Ponda police have formed a committee under Dy SP Sunita Sawant and PI Sudesh Naik. After preliminary investigation, Sawant has recommended the suspension of Naik and Harlankar.
Meanwhile, activist Deepak Gadekar visited the Ponda police station on Monday to demand the termination of the services of the two policemen.
He recalled that how PSI Rahul Damshekar was suspended three years ago after he (Deepak) and activist Rajan Ghate caught the policemen demanding a bribe of Rs 60,000 to settle a case.
