Mumbai: Vasai Cops Arrested for Helping Murder Accused Escape; ₹45,000 Bribe Paid Via Google Pay

Vasai: In a shocking incident that has tarnished the image of the 'Khaki' uniform and brought embarrassment to the Maharashtra Police force, three police personnel have been caught red-handed and arrested by the Vasai Police for helping a murder accused escape from the Vasai Court premises. Driven by greed, the cops directly utilized digital payment methods to accept the bribe.

The arrested police personnel have been identified as Police Constable Eknath Talpade, Prashant Rathod, and Wasim Sheikh.

The details emerging from the police investigation are startling. The accused policemen had allegedly accepted a bribe of ₹45,000 from the criminal and his family members to facilitate the escape. Instead of taking cash, the bribe was transferred digitally via Google Pay (GPay) in multiple installments of ₹5,000 each.

Upon bringing the accused near the court's prison van, the corrupt policemen deliberately loosened the handcuffs of the accused, Vinod Soni. Seizing the opportunity, Soni made an excuse to relieve himself, and the police gave him a clear window to flee. The police have also arrested the fugitive's wife, Sakshi Soni, and son, Atul Soni, for actively conspiring and assisting in the escape.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage within the police department. The anger stems from the fact that the Crime Branch Unit 3 team had recently cracked a highly complex, 16-year-old murder case and arrested Vinod Soni from Madhya Pradesh after an intensive investigation, only for local security personnel to let him go for monetary gain.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)