The Sitabuldi police have arrested the Woman Police Sub-Inspector and Constable Vishnu Khedkar on the charges of threatening the youth with booking him in bogus rape case and recovering Rs 5,000 as extortion money from both the lover couple.
Nagpur News: “The fence eating the farm” saying has outrageously proved true when a Woman Police Sub-Inspector and Constable extorted Rs 5,000 by threatening a youth and his fiancée in the wee hours of Thursday.The Sitabuldi police have arrested the Woman Police Sub-Inspector Sonali Vangate and Constable Vishnu Khedkar on the charges of threatening the youth with booking him in bogus rape case and recovering Rs 5,000 as extortion money from both the lover couple. When the word reached the Commissioner of Police K K Pathak, the furious top boss ordered a probe into the outrageous actions of both the Woman PSI and the Constable. The detailed probe exposed and revealed the truth resulting in the arrest of Sonali Vangade and Vishnu Khedkar.
According to police, Sonali Vangate had recently become a Police Sub-Inspector and was a topic of discussion for allegedly extorting money. A few years back, a Commando of the same police station had extorted Rs 5,000 from a Raipur man by arresting him in the night and threatening to trap him in fake offence. However, the then Police Commissioner had suspended three Commandos in this connection.
According to police, the Woman PSI Sonali Vangate and Constable Vishnu Khedkar, attached to Sitabuldi Police Station, were on patrolling duty in a police vehicle. When both reached near Alankar Talkies in Dharampeth, they spotted a youth and his fiancée walking at that wee hours. The youth, Pradeep (name changed) a former VNIT student and now serving in a private company, was returning to his hostel along with his fiancée Kiran (name changed), who too is an engineering student of the last semester in the same institution. Both Pradeep and Kiran, were returning from Panchmarhi and had got down from a bus near Zero Mile in early hours.
However, they were stopped by both the police personnel and after preliminary questioning, took them to Sitabuldi Police Station despite forceful pleading by Pradeep and Kiran and telling the truth. Both even showed their I-Cards to the police. However, the Woman PSI Vanagte and Constable were in no mood to listen to their pleas of Pradeep and Kiran and searched their bags. The police personnel allegedly started blackmailing Pradeep that he will be booked for raping Kiran and even threatened medical examination of Kiran.
Commissioner Pathak cracked the whip after both Pradeep and Kiran complained to him and it was confirmed by Crime Branch under Additional CP (in-charge) Sunil Kolhe. The matter was referred back to Sitabuldi Police Station after the statements of both were recorded by Crime Branch personnel. The lovers said cops had taken nearly Rs 5,000 from them.
The Sitabuldi cops later forced Pradeep to part with cash Rs 500 out of Rs 700 he had in his pocket. The cops had, by then, came across Kiran’s ATM card in the bag. The lovers were brought to the Law College square where the cops forced Kiran to withdraw as much as she could from ATM. Kiran withdrew Rs 3,000 but the cops sent her back to ATM once again. She was made to withdraw another Rs 1,000 that the cops took from her. The lovers were allowed to return to hostel after the cops pocketed the cash.
A perturbed Kiran met the Police Commissioner Pathak on Thursday to narrate the sordid episode to him. The top cop immediately swung into action and issued the necessary instructions. “This was an atrocious act which we felt was beyond the tolerable limit. The facts were corroborated and allegations found true following which we are taking the further action,” said Pathak.
