Govt suspends top IPS officer in lottery scam

Alok Kumar was in touch with main accused, says CID report

The State government suspended Additional Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru (West), Alok Kumar on Saturday after the CID sought to probe his role in the lottery scam. 

The CID report states that two officers attached to the Excise and Lottery Enforcement Cell have given a statement that Kumar interfered when they tried to arrest the main accused, Pari Rajan, sources said.  

The report also states that Kumar was in direct contact with Rajan, who is presently in their custody, and that the senior IPS officer interfered in the probe. 

On April 28, between 11:30 am and 12 pm, Kumar made a phone call to Sub-Inspector (Excise and Lottery Enforcement-KGF) Prakash. 

During the conversation, Kumar told Prakash: “Take action as per law against the accused. He is known to me. Nothing should be done this way or that way.”  The IPS officer made another call on April 30 from his office landline and said: “Accused Rajan will come to KGF. Do not search for him.” 

During the probe, Rajan told CID officials that he knew Kumar and had sought his assistance whenever he was in trouble with the police.

DG & IGP Om Prakash discussed the issue with Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on Saturday evening. The suspension order was issued after the meeting. “Strict action will be initiated against those involved. The dignity of the State government will be protected,” Mukherjee said. 

Kumar has been directed not to leave the headquarters without written permission. 

A 1994 batch IPS officer, Kumar was supposed to go on a two-year sabbatical as he had secured a Fulbright Scholarship in a US university. 

The Department of Personnel and Training, however, is yet to process the file, said sources. 

 

A senior officer in the Home Department said that a preliminary inquiry into the lottery scam was ordered after a story based on a sting operation was aired by a vernacular news channel. 

“In March, the department directed the IGP (Excise and Lottery Enforcement Cell) to submit a report. The IGP submitted the report and it was being examined when Rajan was arrested by the Lottery Cell officials in Bangarpet. Considering the seriousness of the case, it was handed over to CID. The CID on Friday submitted that based on the statements by police officers in Excise and Lottery Cell, also on the basis of the CDR analysis results, they wanted to probe Kumar’s role in the scam in detail,” the officer said.

 

“The investigation began almost one-and-a-half months ago by the Excise and Lottery Enforcement Cell in Bangarpet. The FIR has been transferred to the CID and the probe is on to ascertain ways in which the scam was going on despite the ban,” the officer added.

 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “The preliminary report has been submitted today to the chief secretary. Despite Kumar being one of our senior most police officers, we have placed him under suspension and that goes to show that we are committed to take action. We will not spare anyone who is corrupt.”

Senior IPS officer B N S Reddy has been given additional charge of the post held by Kumar.