Protectors of law caught breaking it!

They are supposed to be protecting lives of people and maintaining law and order. But, city policemen are being increasingly caught on the wrong foot. Suspension of three constables of SR Nagar police on Wednesday by police commissioner AK Khan, once again exposed their rampant corruption and high-handedness. The constables - Muniratnam, Krishna and Ramaiah, were caught red-handed by Task Force sleuths demanding and accepting bribe from a woman, said to be a former sex worker, who is now leading a normal life. The three constables  had been warned earlier by higher officials. Just a few days before the incident, a senior officer warned them to mend their ways. “The trio used to behave like our bosses and intervene in all cases. Even inspectors, who served here earlier, had warned them for their misbehaviour,’’ a constable told Express.According to sources, the inquiry was ordered against the trio after a woman approached Khan directly and said the constables were harassing her. Khan constituted a team comprising senior officers of Task Force and trapped Muniratnam, Krishna and Ramaiah accepting a `30,000 bribe from the woman at Rajiv Nagar, four days ago. “After we carried out complete investigation against the three for demanding and accepting the bribe, we submitted a comprehensive report to the commissioner. Based on the probe report, the Commissioner issued suspension notices to the trio on charges of taking bribe,’’ said SR Nagar police inspector P Krishna Murthy. The complainant, said to be a former sex worker, said in her complaint that the three constables used to frequently visit her house and demand bribe, even after she left the profession. 

By Mouli Mareedu