Undercover Bengaluru cop lands in Odisha jail after 'procedural lapse'

A procedural lapse landed a policeman from southern Bengaluru’s Jigani in the Odisha police’s net after he and three others were arrested for possessing marijuana (ganja) and remanded to a 14-day judicial custody at the Balliguda sub-jail. 

Head constable Anand K, Odia interpreter Jayanth, Shyam Sundar, a police informant, and Naresh Pradhan, a suspect in a drug supply case in Jigani, were arrested by the Sarangada police on November 1. 

A probe into a drug peddling case in Jigani in early October revealed the role of one Sujith Rawat, who supplied ganja from Odisha via train to Kageshwar, a local peddler. 

Jigani police subsequently found that Rawat received the narcotics from Naresh and Subhash Pradhan from Odisha’s Kandhamal district. His call detail record (CDR) revealed Naresh and Subhash’s phone numbers. 

The CDR of Naresh and Subhash revealed their connection with Sundar, a Bengaluru local. Sundar, who the police officials said was part of the gang, accepted his links with Naresh and Subhash, agreed to be the informant and led them to the suspects. 

The undercover op

The team of six police officials, including the lead Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Appaji, Head Constable Anand, and Sundar and Jayanth, a Jigani resident, who knew Odia agreed to assist the police as an interpreter, left for Kandhamal, along with documents, including a ‘passport’ to travel out of state issued by Bengaluru Rural Superintendent of Police (SP), on the evening of October 31. 

On November 1, Sundar initiated contact with Naresh and Subhash, who agreed to supply him with ganja. 

“The suspects told the informant that they would meet them with the ganja at the bus stand near the Sarangada police station but asked only two to three people to be there as a large gathering would raise suspicion,” Mallikarjun Baladandi, Bengaluru Rural SP, told DH. “Hence, the team decided to send Anand, Sundar and Jayanth, while the rest waited nearby.” 

While Anand, who was in plainclothes, Sundar, Jayanth, Naresh and Subhash with two packages of ganja weighing nearly 17 kg were at the bus stand, an Odisha police patrol vehicle arrived at the spot. Looking at the cops, Subhash fled raising suspicion. 

“While Naresh attempted to flee, Anand grabbed ahold of him,” Baladandi said, adding that they were subsequently arrested.

Odisha cops weren’t intimated

Despite Anand explaining the operation and displaying his identification, the Sarangada police stuck to the point of questioning why they hadn't been informed.

"When my Odisha counterparts contacted me, I sent them the documents. Despite verifying it, they remained adamant on the fact that they weren’t intimated, there was a procedural lapse and only Anand was with the suspects, while the other officials were elsewhere,” Baladandi said.

When the Additional SP and an inspector from Bengaluru Rural reached Sarangada, the arrest procedures were completed. "We have applied for bail at the local court and would move the High Court to quash the case as it was due to a 'misunderstanding and a procedural lapse' and did not have any criminal intention,” Baladandi said.

'Wanted to avoid a leak'

A senior police officer on the condition of anonymity said that due to the nature of the operation, the local police were not informed to avoid a probable leak.

“Before the suspects would be moved to Bengaluru, the local police would have been informed as we have to present them before a court to obtain a transit warrant."

Despite multiple phone calls, Kandhamal SP Suvendu Kumar Patra was unavailable for comment.