An Uttar Pradesh police inspector, who was once awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG) this Independence Day, is absconding after coming under the scanner of Meerut Police for his alleged involvement in a bribery case.
Brijendra Pal Singh, the 47-year-old SHO at Sadar Bazaar Police Station, was among the nine officials from UP Police to get the PMG this year. Now, the decorated cop faces a case filed against him in the same police station where he was posted for being neck-deep in corruption.
The police said the corruption case against Rana is based on an anonymous letter that alerted police to a deal being allegedly struck at the Sadar Bazar police station. He, along with Head Constable Manmohan, has been accused of extorting Rs 3.5 lakh from an individual in an alleged fake truck theft case.
“Based on evidence in connection with a fake case of a truck theft lodged to claim insurance benefits at the Sadar Bazar station, an FIR was lodged against the in-charge Rana and Head Constable Manmohan. Both were found to have indulged in corrupt practices to hush up the case. The Head Constable was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 in this connection,” said SSP Chaudhary.
According to the police sources quoted by The Indian Express, Rana posted a video on police WhatsApp group after he went missing in which he said that he was going to Prayagraj to file a Civil Application (CA) in the Allahabad High Court. “The arrested Head Constable has levelled baseless charges of corruption against me. I will be happy if an impartial inquiry is conducted in this regard,” Rana said in his defence.
Rana was picked up for the PMG for gunning down Shiv Shakti Naidu, a dreaded criminal who faced serious charges in about 25 cases and had a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head, during an encounter in Meerut last year.