Two police personnel attached to Mangaluru South Police Station have been arrested for allegedly assaulting and extorting money and valuables from an electrician near Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru. The accused were on patrol duty in a Hoysala police vehicle when they stopped the electrician as he was returning home after his evening walk.
Stopped during an evening walk
The electrician, Raviraj, a resident of Vittal who works in Mangaluru, was returning home after his evening walk at Nehru Maidan when the policemen stopped him. They were travelling in a Hoysala patrol vehicle at the time. According to the complaint, the policemen intercepted Raviraj as he was walking past the RTO office after completing his walk at Nehru Maidan. The two constables were on patrol duty in the marked Hoysala vehicle when they stopped him.
Assault and threats alleged
Raviraj alleged that the policemen physically assaulted him and took cash and valuables from him after threatening him with legal action. The complaint states that they forcibly took his cash and valuables. The alleged incidents took place on more than one occasion. On August 25, the constables stopped him around 10 pm, and on August 28 they allegedly robbed him of Rs 2,000 at the same spot. On November 4, one of the constables and a third policeman allegedly snatched his mobile phone and the keys of his motorcycle and dragged him into the patrolling vehicle.
Complaint leads to a criminal case
The complaint prompted senior police officials to initiate an inquiry and register a criminal case against the two personnel. An FIR was registered at Pandeshwar police station following Raviraj's formal complaint. Mangaluru Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy directed action against the accused personnel, leading to the arrests. The case was registered after the complaint was formally lodged with the police.
Arrested and remanded to custody
The accused constables have been identified as Shivaraj and Hiranna Benni, both attached to Mangaluru South police station. A third police constable of the same station, Umanath, has been named as an accused in the FIR and has been issued a notice. The two constables were arrested on Saturday, November 7, and produced before a local court, which remanded them to 14 days in judicial custody. Mangaluru East Police Inspector Ananthapadmanabha has been asked to further investigate the case, and the investigation is under way.
