Pramesh S Jain
A police inspector attached to the KP Agrahara police station was trapped by Lokayukta officials on charges of accepting a bribe in connection with a cheating case.
The accused inspector,Govindaraju,was allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs.5 lakh from the complainant to extend favours in a cheating case registered at the KP Agrahara police station of the total amount demanded, the inspector had reportedly already collected Rs.1 lakh on January 24.
Following a complaint,a Lokayukta team led by Superintendent of Police,Shivaprakash Devaraju laid a trap.
On Wednesday evening at around 4.30 pm,the inspector was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting the remaining Rs.4 lakh bribe near the Chamarajpet CAR ground.
Lokayukta police said the cheating case involved Mohammed Akbar and his associates,and the inspector had assured assistance in the matter in return for the bribe.
Based on the complaint,a trap operation was conducted and the accused was taken into custody.Further investigation is underway,Lokayukta officials said.
Viral video draws sharp reactions
The video of the inspector’s arrest quickly spread across social media platforms, drawing sharp reactions from the public,civil society members and former police officials.
Many users expressed anger and disappointment over the conduct of a senior police officer,particularly the manner in which he behaved while in uniform.
Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Bhaskar Rao strongly condemned the incident,stating that it had brought disrepute to the entire police force.In a post on social media platform X,Rao described the behaviour as “extremely shameful”and“another instance of disgraceful conduct in uniform”.
“There are over one lakh police personnel in Karnataka who feel let down by such actions while wearing khaki,” Rao said,emphasising that the misconduct of a few officers damages the morale and reputation of thousands of honest personnel serving the public.
Meanwhile Karnataka Home Minister Dr G Parmeshwara reacting to the lokayukta trap incident said as soon as I got to know that KP Agrahara inspector Govindaraju trapped and arrested by Lokayukta officials i immediately called Seemant Kumar Singh commissioner of police and instructed to suspend the tainted officer and order a thorough a departmental inquiry based on allegations by the complainant and take stringent action he added.
