3 months after ‘new’ evidence, ACB yet to begin probe

In a sting operation conducted over several days, he had captured the constables allegedly taking bribes from residents of the Thakkar Bappa Colony in exchange of turning a blind eye to their illegal constructions.

The ACB had subsequently initiated inquiries into the matter, and in February this year, Khan submitted four fresh CDs to the ACB.

According to Khan’s allegations, one of these four constables is involved in the earlier case of bribe taking. Of the other three, one accepted money as a ‘hafta’, while the remaining two took bribes in exchange of helping people get bail or require certificates from a hospital, Khan claims.

Khan was subsequently called for a statement in April this year, but there is still no case registered in connection with the new development.

“We will be sending those CDs to the Forensic Science Laboratory for the spectrometric test, to check the voice samples of the accused policemen. If the reports come out positive, we will take action against them,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (ACB) Vishwas Nangre-Patil.

On being asked why an FIR had not been lodged for the case, Nangre-Patil said, “We have to record the voice sample from Khan again. We have marked this matter to the same officer who is investigating the previous case.”
Khan said he was disillusioned with the way things were going.

“I went to the ACB in April, but they didn’t lodge any FIR, though they did record my statement. The last time around, it was much easier. Everything was done within an hour as I involved the media from the beginning. This time, I didn’t approach the media and this is the result,” he said.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com