The trapped were inspector Mary Shailaja, head constable Nagaraj and constable Mare Gowda attached to the state police service and serving at the city railway station.

The three cops had accused Vinod Jain, proprietor of Shubham Jewellers on Magadi Road, of buying stolen gold from a thief.

The police team harassed the jeweller and said the case could be closed if he handed over 70 grams of gold and Rs 50,000 in cash.

Sleuths shocked

Later, Lokayukta sleuths were shocked to find that there was no theft. The so-called thief also could not be traced.

Vinod Jain, the complainant, told Deccan Herald:  “On January 18, the police party arrived at my shop along with so-called thief Santosh. They accused me of receiving stolen property from Santosh. They asked me to return the ‘stolen 160 grams of gold or face the consequences.’

“They created a scene in front of my customers in the shop.  When I requested them to leave the place, they obliged on the condition that I visit the police station later.
“When I landed at the station, the inspector along with her subordinates threatened to arrest me. After a few hours, they finally settled for 70 grams of gold and Rs 50,000 in cash.”

 Jain said he felt sad that the two constables “were forcing me to accept the deal. Every now and then, they walked into the inspector’s chamber and came out with new figures.”
With no help coming from any quarters, Jain decided to approach the Lokayukta.

Deputy Superintendents Girish and Manjunath laid a trap and caught the three cops red-handed when they came to collect the cash from the jeweller.

Later, the Lokayukta sleuths learnt that there was neither any theft case registered in the police station nor could the cops produce the so-called thief who had accompanied the trio to Jain’s shop.