Nellai cop caught on camera asking bribe suspended

TIRUNELVELI: A police special sub-inspector in Tirunelveli city was ordered to be suspended after being caught on camera asking for a Rs. 1000 bribe from an electrician.

Ebenezer, the electrician, runs an electrical equipment repair shop in the Palayamkottai market area. He had a problem with a male nursing student over repairing an electric stove. A few days ago, the student along with two of his friends picked up a quarrel with Ebenezer at his shop. This developed into a fight in which the nursing student was hurt and admitted to the Tirunelveli medical college hospital for treatment.

Later, the student and Ebenezer came to a compromise and the injured student did not prefer a police complaint. When the High Ground police enquired about the issue, the nursing student gave a written statement that he had settled the issue with the electrician amicably and did not want to give a police complaint.

Nevertheless, special sub-inspector Arunachalam attached to the High Ground police station picked up the electrician along with his wife, took them to the station and demanded a bribe of Rs 1000 to let him go without registering a case. He was not aware that he was being caught on a mobile phone camera, He said that the money he was demanding was not for him but to meet the expenses of disposing off an unclaimed body. The electrician refused to give the bribe and tried to leave the police station along with his wife, who was secretly shooting the incident. The police officer, however, dragged the electrician by his shirt collar into the police station.

This video circulated on WhatsApp went to the notice of the Tirunelveli city police commissioner, Murugan, who, on Saturday, conducted an enquiry and ordered the suspension of the police officer.