A sessions court that denied bail to decorated police inspectors Nandkumar Gopale and Asha Korke in an extortion case in which former city police chief Param Bir Singh is their co-accused, has said in its detailed order that being police officers they were expected to protect people, but material reveals that were involved in collecting extortion money by taking undue advantage of their post.
Additional Sessions Judge Deepak L. Bhagwat said in his common order for both, “Applicants being police officers it was their duty to act as per law. However, apparently the applicants, as the material reveals, are involved in collecting the extortion money by taking undue advantage of their post, when the expectation is that they ought to protect people, apprehend guilty and prevent crime.” The court said there is prima facie material against them showing their involvement.
Their bail pleas were rejected last week. However, the detailed order was made available on Friday. Judge Bhagwat further said that the duo being police officers are well-versed with the process of investigation and are influential. Hence, there is a possibility that they may interfere with the investigation, threaten witnesses and impair the probe.
Gopale and Korke came to be arrested last month in a complaint lodged by one Shyamsunder Agarwal at Marine Drive police station. In his complaint he had alleged that his former business partner had filed false cases against him when their relations soured and then extorted him with the former CP by threatening him with invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against him in these offences. Gopale and Korke, he alleged, had raided his residences. Gopale demanded Rs. 50 lakhs he alleged and Korke made him send the money through a hawala service. Agarwal had also named other police officers in his complaint. Gopale and Korke’s bail applications were rejected by a magistrate court earlier.
Both had sought bail claiming that the allegations were false and had drawn the court’s attention to the numerous awards they had been conferred over their career. Prosecutor Shekhar Jagtap had opposed relief to them and told the court that though the two may be police officers who had won awards, this cannot act as a shield for their criminal acts and argued that they had misused powers of police.
