Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Apr 25: After liquor bottles found being transported in government vehicle in spite of ban having been placed on sale and transportation of liquor under lockdown conditions, has given rise to skirmishes between two top police officers. The bottles were seized by electronics city assistant commissioner of police Vasu from a Tata Sumo vehicle bearing GST board.
Allegedly the liquor was being transported at the instance of additional police commissioner, Murugan. Vasu got statements of those in the vehicle recorded in which they said that the liquor belongs to Murugan. It is said that Murugan asked he case to be dropped but Vasu did not agree. Thereafter, Murugan got the statement of the accused saying that Vasu had demanded bribe of Rs 50 lac to drop the case. It is said that Murugan has since filed a report accusing the said ACP of obtaining bribe. Vasu said in the presence of the media that additional commissioner of police was angry at the fact that the man who was arrested for transporting liquor in government vehicle, was not released at his instance. Vasu also said that Murugan accepted bribe in this case and brought pressure to release the accused.
It is said that police, based on information they got on April 11, undertook an operation. The operation was conducted by ACP Vasu, electronics city station house officer, Kishore Kumar, and other staff at 9 pm. Liquor valued at lacs of rupees was found in COVID 19 vigilance cell vehicle on Bettadasanapura road. The vehicle and liquor were seized and driver Gopi, and another person Vishwas Gupta, were arrested and case was filed
Immediately after he came to know about the seizure of eight boxes of liquor, Gopi said he knows senior police officers including IPS officer, Murugan. Vasu said that he was offered five lac rupees bribe if the accused was allowed to go scot free. "On April 12, Murugan asked me to come to Madivala station, obtained information about the said case, and asked me to release the accused by obtaining bail at the station. Now he has obtained a statement from a person named Janardan, duly accusing me of accepting bribe. He has recommended to suspend me from service. Murugan has role in the liquor transportation case," Vasu explained.
The Sumo car in question has been registered in the name of the state commercial tax commissioner. The health and family welfare department had obtained it for COVID 19 operations. Commercial taxes department officials said they have no connection with the liquor transportation. Twenty-five vehicles had been borrowed from commercial taxes department by the health department with the assurance that they would be used for transportation of coronavirus suspects, food and medicine transportation.