Two constables suspended, ACP attached to DGP office in Khammam extortion case

The constables Nagaraju and Upender were working as a gunman and driver for the ACP (CTC) Ravi and were said to have acted under the direction of the latter.

Khammam: An ACP was attached to the DGP office and two police constables were suspended from service, reportedly in a case wherein the constables allegedly looted Rs 6 lakh cash from a chilli trader’s clerk.

Commissioner of Police Sunil Dutt issued orders recently in this regard. It was said that on the night of June 28, the trader’s clerk, who was carrying Rs 10 lakh cash in a bag, was intercepted by the Constables Upender and Nagaraju at Sundarayya Park in the city.

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They threatened the clerk that he was carrying ganja and the bag should be checked. When he showed the cash in the bag, the constables demanded the accounts for the money; then forcibly took Rs 6 lakh cash and left the spot.

The perplexed clerk explained the matter to his boss, who was out of town at that time. The trader after coming back to Khammam along with the Chamber of Commerce office bearers approached the Three Town Police Station, who reported the matter to the higher officials. The CP, who took the matter seriously, ordered an internal probe into the incident.

As the matter was leaked out, the constables returned Rs 5 lakh and another Rs 1 lakh was taken by a vernacular daily reporter, who was said to be the mastermind behind the crime.

The constables Nagaraju and Upender were working as a gunman and driver for the ACP (CTC) Ravi and were said to have acted under the direction of the latter.

The reporter in question was T Rajendra Murthy, who worked as agriculture beat contributor and looked after marketing affairs of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi. He was removed from service by the newspaper management after he was arrested by Karimnagar police in a cyber fraud case.

According to sources, Murthy maintained close relations with ACP, Ravi and tipped off the official about the chilli traders’ money movement and it was because of that the ACP was attached to the DGP office.

The trader has not lodged any complaint with police as there were no receipts for the cash movement and also he got back Rs 5 lakh. The incident has caused a stir in the police department in Khammam as well as in other districts.