ANANTAPUR: Kurnool police are searching for an inspector who escaped before being arrested in a case registered against him for collecting bribe from a person for releasing a seized amount.
As part of routine search, a team of Special Enforcement Bureau found ₹75 lakh cash in a private bus at Panchalingala Check Post on March 19. The money was being taken from Hyderabad to Madurai by Satish Balakrishnan of Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu state.
SEB police handed over the case to Kurnool rural police station on the same day. Inspector Kambagiri Ramudu of the police station reportedly threatened Satish Balalakrishnan of dire consequences though the latter produced necessary documents and papers pertaining to the money meant for purchasing property.
The inspector reportedly demanded a bribe and a group of three people acted as middlemen. After negotiation, Satish Balalakrishnan agreed to pay ₹15 lakh for release without booking any case.
The inspector and his team took away ₹15 lakh as bribe from ₹75 lakh and released Sathish Balakrishnan with rest of the money. The inspector distributed ₹5 lakh to middlemen and kept ₹10 lakh with himself.
When Kurnool SP Sudheer Kumar Reddy came to know about this on Thursday night, he directed that a case be booked against inspector Kambagiri Ramudu. When Ramudu realised this, he removed the official SIM card from his phone on Friday and fled.
Special teams have been formed to nab the inspector. There are allegations that Panchalingala Check Post is a point of smuggling gold and illicit cash through various modes of transport, mostly private buses from Hyderabad.
Kurnool SP has ordered a high-level inquiry into the entire matter.
