Eleven police personnel from Bengaluru’s west division have been suspended following allegations of having links with an illegal drugs network that targeted students and young professionals in the city, the police said, adding that the nexus came to light after the RR Nagar police arrested six drug peddlers on August 22.
The suspended officers include Chamarajpet police inspector T Manjanna; head constables Ramesh and Shivraj, and constables Madhusudan, Prasanna, Shankar Belagali, and Anand from Chamarajpet, as well as Assistant Sub-Inspector Kumar and three constables from the JJ Nagar station.
The drug peddlers arrested by the RR Nagar police include Salman, Nayazullag Khan, Nayaz Khan, and Taher Patel. The gang was allegedly caught selling prescription-only Tydol tablets as narcotics, with approximately 1,000 tablets seized during the operation.
The investigation took a turn when Salman claimed police protection for his illegal operations.
“Initially, we thought he was bragging to mislead us,” a police officer said. However, examination of mobile phones revealed constant communication between the peddlers and officers from both the Chamarajpet and JJ Nagar stations.
Soon after the incident, an internal investigation revealed that the police officers knew about the gang’s movements, drug-selling locations, and operational methods. It suggested that the peddlers paid protection money up to Rs 2 lakh monthly to ensure uninterrupted business. Some officers allegedly attended social gatherings with the criminals.
Bharath Reddy, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kengeri Gate, submitted a report to S Girish, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), leading to the case being transferred to Chandan Kumar, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vijayanagar, for a detailed inquiry. The investigation confirmed the suspended officers’ involvement in protecting the drug network, the police said.
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According to a police officer, Salman claimed that Rs 1 lakh monthly was paid to Manjanna, Rs 25,000 to ASIs, and Rs 20,000 to constables. “The gang was making more than Rs 10 lakh per month and did not have problems paying the police. It appears that they were in contact with the drug peddlers for three to four years,” the officer said.