Migrant Worker Hands In Phone, Cop Sells It For Rs 10k
A civil police officer has been booked for theft after allegedly pocketing a Redmi phone a migrant worker handed in and selling it for Rs 10,000 to a neighbour in his village.
Thiruvananthapuram: A civil police officer has been booked for theft after allegedly pocketing a Redmi phone a migrant worker handed in and selling it for Rs 10,000 to a neighbour in his village.
The migrant worker found the phone on the road near Chandera police station on October 8.
While the worker showed honesty by depositing the phone at the station, officer Y Baiju broke the law by selling it for personal gain.
The FIR was registered on Tuesday following a preliminary inquiry conducted by Sub Inspector Vishnuy S. Nair under the directions of Kasargod District SP Nidhinraj P.
According to the FIR, a migrant worker living near the Chandera police station found a mobile phone on the road on October 8.
He took it to the station and handed it over to the police.
Baiju, who was on guard duty, received it and recorded the entry in the station’s general diary and guard duty register.
The police later traced the phone’s owner, Subhadra, a homemaker from Kannur district.
She couldn’t come to the police station to collect the phone the next day.
About a week later, when her son Darshan came to the station to retrieve it, the cops discovered the handset was missing from the drawer.
With the help of the cyber wing, police examined the phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
It was revealed that a new SIM card had been inserted into the phone on October 14.
Police traced the location of the phone to the Neerachal area, and its new user was identified as Mohammed Aris K.
During questioning, Aris told officers that a police officer he knew had sold him the handset.
Later, it was discovered that the seller was none other than civil police officer Baiju.
The police booked Baiju under Section 331(4) of the BNS for nighttime housebreaking or trespassing with the intention of committing theft.
If convicted, the accused faces imprisonment of up to 14 years.
Section 306 pertains to employees stealing property in their employer’s possession.
If convicted, the accused faces seven years of imprisonment.
