Chennai: A Police Inspector attached to a law & order wing of a police station in the Anna Nagar Police District is being probed for his role in a money changing deal that turned awry while exchanging demonetised currency of face value 1 crore. A businessman had lodged a complaint with the City police top brass alleging that the Police Inspector had by force taken Rs 36 lakhs for the exchange as against a lower premium mutually agreed upon.
The complaint has stoked a controversy among the uniformed force, which at present is being accused of going slow against khaki-clad personnel who indulged in arson of private vehicles and a shack during the Marina mayhem on January 23. At a time when the Income-Tax sleuths were going after bank employees and central agencies ate pursing money laundering aspects behind large-scale seizures of new currency notes, the alleged role of a Police Inspector in exchanging demonetised currency is likely to attract the attention of central agencies.
Sources said the businessman has named four persons including another cop and two middlemen who he charged with swindling Rs 36 lakhs from the assured sum. The businessman had approached the Inspector through the middlemen named in the complaint. They had agreed to exchange Rs 1 crore for a premium (which was not disclosed to the media), nearly 2 months ago.
The businessman was questioned by the top brass and was asked to share further details about the transactions in which the Police Inspector was alleged to have played a key role. Based on the inputs, the top cops were planning to confront the Inspector. "We have received a complaint from a businessman based in Anna Nagar, based on which we are examining the role of the Inspector. The probe is at a preliminary stage. We would get to know about the merits of the complaint only after a detailed probe," said a senior police official who is privy to the investigation.
