Mumbai: An assistant police inspector and two Government Railway Police (GRP) constables have been dismissed from service after being suspended last year for allegedly robbing a 37-year-old jewellery merchant.
The dismissed personnel, who were attached to Mumbai Central railway station, have been identified as Lalit Jagtap (assistant police inspector), Rahul Bhosale, and Anil Rathor (both constables). The GRP issued the dismissal order on March 30 with immediate effect.
According to the GRP, the complainant, Kamalkumar Soni, a resident of Churu in Rajasthan, was allegedly robbed by the three accused at Mumbai Central railway station. The incident took place on August 10 at Platform No. 5.
Soni had come to Mumbai with his daughter on August 1 to celebrate the Raksha Bandhan festival, as his sister resides in the city. On August 10, he was returning to Rajasthan. He reached Mumbai Central station at around 10:30 p.m. along with his eight-year-old daughter, Bhavi Soni, and his brother-in-law, Dinesh Soni. They were waiting for the Duronto Express, which was scheduled to depart at 11 p.m.
At Platform No. 5, a constable in uniform, without a nameplate, was seated behind a table. He called Soni and his relatives over and checked Soni’s bag. During the search, he found a 14-gram gold bar and ₹31,900 in cash. When questioned, Soni explained that he had receipts for the gold. Despite this, the constable allegedly abused and assaulted him in front of his daughter.
The constable then called an accomplice, also dressed in khaki, and together they took the trio to a dark room near the platform. There, a third constable, posing as a senior officer, joined them. The three allegedly verbally abused the merchant, physically assaulted him, threatened to arrest him, and forced him to sign a blank paper. During the ordeal, Soni’s daughter began crying and was traumatised.
As the train was about to depart, the accused allegedly took away the gold bar and ₹31,900 in cash. When Soni told them he had no money left for the journey, they returned only ₹1,900 before letting them go.
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After returning to Rajasthan, Soni lodged a complaint at Ratangarh police station on August 18. The case was later transferred to the Mumbai Central GRP. Based on his complaint, a case was registered against three unidentified persons in khaki uniforms under Section 119(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (for voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to extort property or compel a person to commit an illegal act).
Following the incident, the GRP had suspended the trio last year.
Activist Samir Zaveri, stated, "In just eight months, the Government Railway Police (GRP) Mumbai completed a thorough departmental probe and imposed dismissal as punishment. Sends a strong message that it will not tolerate corruption or extortion. This firm stance ensures wrongdoers think twice."
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