Salem: Seven cops including two serving inspectors and a sub inspector were awarded imprisonment by a court here on Tuesday for taking bribe, almost 17 years ago from bootleggers in Salem district.
According to the prosecution, N Mathivanan from Kengavalli was intercepted by sleuths of the Prohibition Enforcement Wing (PEW), Athur on 11 March, 2000 and his two-wheeler was seized.
Head constable N. Saminathan of PEW in Athur demanded a bribe of Rs 15,000 to release his vehicle. However Mathivanan agreed to give Rs 10,000 and gave Rs 2,000 in advance.
He later informed the DVAC on March 18 against the cop for demanding bribe. Next day, the DVAC sleuths set a trap by issuing chemical laced notes and caught the head constable when he received the bribe amount.
As frequent complaints flooded the DVAC department that cops in the Athur station were taking bribe from bootleggers, the DVAC sleuths raided the station and seized unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 1,15,050 kept hidden in 17 different places.
Several pieces of papers, which had information on the bribe amount received from different persons, were also seized during the raid. The forensic experts, who examined the hand writing in those bits of paper, confirmed that all the cops in the station were involved in bribery network.
A case was registered against Inspector Sekar, Sub Inspector Arul Murugan and head constable Saminathan. A charge sheet was filed on a total of 22 persons and the case was taken up for hearing at a special court for anti-corruption cases in Salem district in the year 2010. As many as 142 witnesses’ accounts were then recorded in the case.
On hearing the case, the court on Tuesday awarded two years imprisonment for A Sekar, inspector, Cuddalore Coastal Security Group, V. Arul Murugan, Inspector, Yeracud, Salem district and two other retired cops, N. Saminathan and M. Khader Shariff, while K Ravi, sub inspector, Salem city, Economic Offences Wing, and two other retired cops A. Madhamanikkam and B. Thangaraj were awarded one year prison term.
