Four constables suspended for stealing rifle

A woman police sub-inspector and four constables attached to the Kumaraswamy Layout police station have been suspended in connection with a case of the missing rifle from the station’s strong room recently.

The five, WPSI Suma, and constables Anand Kokekar, Basavaraju, Paramanda Koti, and Ashok Biradar were suspended pending inquiry.

While the Additional Commissioner of Police (Admin) suspended WPSI Suma for dereliction of duty, the four constables were accused of sneaking out the rifle in order to get the WPSI and her inspector in trouble, an inquiry revealed.

The incident dates back during the days of model code of conduct of the recent elections. Civilians who were in possession of firearms were asked to deposit them with the jurisdictional police until the elections got over.

WPSI Suma was in-charge of the firearms deposited with the strong room at the Kumaraswamy Layout police station. The firearms included double and single barrelled rifles, revolvers and pistols.

The incident came to light when the elections got over and the firearms were returned to its owners by the police when a double-barrel rifle had gone missing. The gun’s owner approached a senior police officer and reported the missing based on which a complaint was registered.

The matter was brought to the notice of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South division Sharanappa who ordered an inquiry immediately.

Inquiries revealed that during the time when the rifle went missing, the above-mentioned constables were said to be moving suspiciously near the strong room. Interestingly, soon after the inquiry was initiated, the rifle somehow appeared inside the strong room, and it was handed over to its rightful owner.

But the inquiry over how the missing rifle came back to the station was underway.

When the constables were individually and collectively questioned, they confessed to their stealing. They also told the investigating officer that they stole the rifle so that their seniors who used to harass them at work get into trouble. The constables wanted a complaint against their senior so that there would be an inquiry against her, said the police sources.

Though sources hinted that there was a growing resentment in some of the police stations when it comes to seniors’ harassing behaviour towards their subordinates, DCP South Sharanappa clarified that “It was an internal issue and the WPSI and the four constables have been suspended pending inquiry.”