Beltangady: Police Head Constable in Lokayukta Net

Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Jul 7: The Lokayukta  personnel raided Beltangady police station on Wednesday July 6, and caught a head constable of the station red-handed while accepting bribe. The raid was conducted on a complaint filed by Ayesha (34), wife of Mavoor Ahmed Kunhi alias Razack from Neriya village.

Prakash, working as head constable in the police station, has been accused of accepting bribe of Rs 1,000 from Ayesha. The Lokayukta sleuths, after soaking the pocket of the shirt Prakash was wearing at the time into a chemical, watched as it turned red. The policemen also recovered Rs 1,000 given by Ayesha to the head constable.

Ayesha reportedly has been filing dowry harassment complaints with the policemen since 2007 against her husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and three sisters-in-law. Ayesha, who started living separately since the last three years, after pressure in the form of physical and mental torture from her in-laws to bring more dowry turned unbearable, claims that dowry of Rs 1.5 lac in cash, and 35 sovereigns of gold in the form of jewellery were given during her marriage. Her children too were dealt with cruelly, Ayesha told the media persons.

She said even after the police complaints, there was no let up in torture from her husband, and that he developed some vices in the meantime. Ayesha, a heart patient herself, ekes out a living through rolling of bidis, and the money she earns is insufficient to educate and spend for the health needs of her children, she explained. She said that other than the circle inspector in 2007, no other police officials from Beltangady had taken her complaint seriously. “When I visited the police station on June 23, the Puttur assistant superintendent of police was present there. After hearing my grievances, she ordered the policemen to register my case. On her advice, when I came to the station to file a fresh complaint on July 1, the policemen asked for money to visit Neriya to investigate my case. I paid Rs 300, and I was summoned to the police station again on Wednesday to participate in mediatory talks with my in-laws. As I was asked to bring money along, I complained to the Lokayukta police on Tuesday,” she said.

It is learnt that the demand for money placed by Prakash was recorded through pen camera and voice recorder. Ayesha said she had also contacted the Uppinangady policemen in this regard, but that the staff there had talked derogatively of women.

Lokayukta superintendent of police, Jagamayyanavar, inspector, Uday Naik, and other personnel participated in the raid.