Cybercrime detective arrested for tipping off drug peddlers

A police head constable having expertise in cyber evidence gathering has been arrested for tipping off suspects in a drug case.

Prabhakar, posted at the Sadashivanagar police station, allegedly leaked investigation information to a gang that had bought contraband on the Darknet using Bitcoin and sold it to select customers in Bengaluru.

Sandeep Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), said the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested Prabhakar in the case registered at the KG Nagar police station. He is accused of aiding and abetting Suneesh Hegde, Prasid Shetty and Hemanth Muddappa in the drug racket. All of them were arrested after police caught one Sujay M collecting a package containing hydro ganja in early November. Police also arrested Darshan Lamani, the son of Congress leader from Haveri Rudrappa Lamani, for sheltering Hegde, Shetty and Muddappa in Goa. Earlier this week, police arrested a software engineer for being part of the gang. His role was to hack websites, steal data and extort money from companies. The booty was used to buy drugs on the Darknet.

The CCB believes the three members of the gang evaded arrest only because Prabhakar was in touch with them and tipped them off about the investigation. The gang paid him for his services. CCB officers suspected an inside job after the gang seemed to know all details of the probe. That's when they started watching Prabhakar. After his link with the gang members was established, the police top brass suspended him last week. But the decision to arrest him was taken after his involvement became clearer, another senior police officer said, adding that he would be taken into custody for further questioning.

Prabhakar had taken special training in New Delhi on cybercrime investigation and was a member of a police team that worked on checking call detail record and mobile phone network coverage, according to the CCB.

The CCB also believes that the gang had links with celebrities, politicians and other influential people, and supplied them drugs.