Last Updated on 26/07/2024 by Ankita Jain
The joint action of ADG and DIG in the case of illegal extortion from trucks in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, created a stir in the police department. The officials raided the Narhi area at night and caught many policemen and brokers involved in extortion on the spot. During this, some bribe-takers managed to escape. After this incident, the Yogi government transferred the SP and Additional SP of Ballia on Thursday. Along with this, the Deputy SP (Sadar) was also suspended. Not only this, orders were also given for a vigilance inquiry into the property of the accused policemen involved in this extortion case – CO, SHO, Chowki Incharge and others.
In fact, ADG Varanasi Zone Piyush Mordia and DIG Azamgarh Zone Vaibhav Krishna raided the Bharouli crossing of Narhi police station area of Ballia on the UP-Bihar border on Wednesday night. According to sources, the officers reached the spot on a truck and were sitting as cleaners. During this time, the policemen were caught extorting money from the truck driver. In such a situation, two policemen and 16 brokers were arrested while extorting money from the trucks on the spot. Whereas, many policemen managed to escape.
Policemen ran away
It is being told that both the officers kept this raid so confidential that they did not even inform SP Ballia about it. Meanwhile, the sub-inspector was checking the account of extortion in the police station. As soon as the policemen came to know that the team of DIG and ADG had raided, all the policemen started running away from the police station. Even the police inspector fled.
According to the DIG, 18 people involved in this extortion business have been arrested. Two of them are policemen and the rest are common citizens. They used to do brokerage and extortion in the name of the police. He said that this raid was conducted in plain clothes.
Action of Yogi government
According to a statement issued by the state government, Ballia Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma and Additional SP Durga Prasad Tiwari have been transferred and put on the waiting list, while DSP Sadar Shubh Soochit has been suspended. Also, orders have been given for a vigilance inquiry into the properties of Deputy SP Sadar, SHO of Narhi police station and police post in-charge.
The statement said that after the disclosure of illegal recovery from vehicles by policemen on the Bihar border, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken strict action with zero tolerance policy.
Earlier, DIG (Azamgarh Zone) Vaibhav Krishna told reporters that ADG (Varanasi Zone) Piyush Mordia had received several complaints of extortion by policemen at the border. DIG Krishna said that during the raid, two policemen involved in extortion were arrested, while three others managed to escape. Several middlemen have also been caught. The extortion gang used to collect Rs 500 from each vehicle (truck). It is estimated that about 1,000 trucks cross the border every night. In such a situation, the amount of extortion becomes quite large.
If police sources are to be believed, inputs of extortion and collection at Bharouli checkpost were received several days ago. However, continuous recce was done for four days, when everything was finalized, then the raid was conducted. In this case, DIG has immediately suspended the Narhi Kotwal along with all the police personnel including Korantadih outpost in-charge. At the same time, legal action has also been taken against other policemen posted in this police station.