The Maharashtra government on Monday appointed IPS officer Saurabh Tripathi at the DCP post of State Intelligence Department(SID), Mumbai, after reinstating him. Tripathi was alleged of extortion from Angadiya trader in the year 2022 and in this case Tripathi has got anticipatory bail from Bombay High Court.
In March 2022, the Maharashtra Home Department had suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Saurabh Tripathi after a case was registered in the Angadiya extortion case. In May 2023, the Shinde -Fadnavis government reinstated Tripathi and a departmental inquiry was initiated against him.
Based on the complaint of Bhuleshwar Angadia Association, an FIR was registered against Inspector Om Wangte, Nitin Kadam and Samadhan Jamdade at Lokmanya Tilak (LT) Marg Police Station on February, 2022. All three were charged under the IPC for extortion, dacoity and other sections.
Angadiya businessman had alleged the policemen posted at LT Marg police station that when his employees went to hand over the money to the clients, the police on duty on the way used to withdraw money from their bags in the name of checking their bags.
This complaint was given to the then Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale, which was investigated by then Additional Commissioner of Police Dilip Sawat. On the basis of the report given by Sawant, Police Commissioner Nagrale had ordered registration of FIR in this matter.
CIB's intelligence unit probing the matter
The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Crime Branch is probing the matter. After registration of the FIR, the CIU arrested Wangte, Kadam and Jamgade and Tripathi was also named as an accused while probing the case.
While probing the matter, the CIU had also arrested Tripathi's brother-in-law and his domestic help, who worked at his village house.
The CIU team probing the matter had gone to Lucknow twice in search of Tripathi but could not find him. During this, Tripathi had filed an application for ABA in the sessions court, which was rejected by the court. Tripathi had applied in the Supreme Court to transfer the case to the CBI, but later withdrew the application.
Chargesheet against Tripathi to be filed soon
In the month of November, Tripathi applied for anticipatory bail in the Bombay High Court, which was accepted by the court. Tripathi's statement was recorded by the CIU probing the matter after the ABA was approved by the high court. A police official told Free Press Journal that the investigation in the ongoing case against Tripathi is almost complete and a charge sheet will be filed soon.
A total of five people were arrested by the CIU in this case, in which the charge sheet has been filed. The name of the domestic help of Tripathi's village house, arrested in this case, was removed from the charge sheet.
