Pramesh S Jain
Allegations of serious misconduct continue to rock the city police.In the latest incident,Bandepalya Police Station Inspector Mahesh Kanakagiri and his staff have been accused of kidnapping a Nepalese-origin youth to extort ₹25 lakh,and later slapping a false ganja case against him.
According to the complaint,Inspector Mahesh Kanakagiri,along with his team and a private rowdy-sheeter,allegedly orchestrated the abduction.
The victim,Manoj Thapa,was reportedly targeted to extract money.His wife,Lakshmi,has filed formal complaints with the Human Rights Commission and the DGP.
On the night of December 5,around 10:30 pm,four men allegedly barged into Thapa’s house at Vinayakanagar, Yelahanka,and abducted him.
The abductors included Bandepalya head constables Shivashankar and Kantharaj,along with another staff member.They took Thapa away in a red Santro car.
Lakshmi immediately filed a kidnapping case at the Yelahanka Police Station.
Once the kidnapping case was registered,the accused officers allegedly attempted to cover up the crime.
On December 6,based on Inspector Mahesh Kanakagiri’s instructions,Bandepalya police registered a false FIR claiming that Thapa was caught selling ganja near Bandepalya,and subsequently arrested him.
However,Yelahanka police retrieved CCTV footage showing the red Santro car abducting Thapa a day earlier,contradicting the Bandepalya police version and exposing the alleged cover-up.
The involvement of three policemen along with a private rowdy in the kidnapping has once again triggered shock and unrest within Bengaluru’s police circles.
