Bengaluru Cop Arrested: A video in which a police official, in uniform, is seen screaming emerged on social media on Friday. Inspector Govindaraju, an accused of taking a bribe, is seen being held by Lokayukta officials in the video. The clip showed him shouting continuously while attempting to resist the grip of Lokayukta officials.
What Happened On Thursday
On Thursday, the police inspector, deployed at KP Agrahara police station, was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a Rs 4 lakh bribe in Bengaluru. The Lokayukta police laid a trap to catch Govindaraju red-handed while taking a bribe on January 29. The cop was arrested while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh in the city.
What Was The Case?
According to the Lokayukta police, Govindaraju was caught following a complaint filed by Md Akbar (42), who alleged that the accused had demanded Rs 5 lakh to help him in connection with a case registered at the KP Agrahara police station. The accused had already collected Rs 1 lakh from the complainant earlier and was caught while allegedly receiving the remaining Rs 4 lakh.
On Akbar's complaint, the Lokayukta police registered a case against Govindaraju under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The complainant had been booked in a cheating case. The accused allegedly offered to help him secure bail in exchange for the bribe.
Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, reacting to the viral video, said the accused had brought disrepute to the police force. "Extremely shameful behaviour. Another instance of disgraceful conduct in uniform. There are over one lakh police personnel in Karnataka who feel let down by such actions while wearing khaki," Rao wrote in a post on X.
A user, Tarun Gautam (@TARUNspeakss), wrote, "Meet inspector Govindaraju (Bengaluru). He threatened to implicate a man in a cheating case. That man filed a complaint in Lokayukta. They set a trap. While accepting 4 lakh bribe, he was arrested red-handed. He started shouting to gain public sympathy."
Another user Aniket Somkuwar (@AniketSomk24602) said, "Bengaluru police is not trustworthy, and I didn’t feel safe in the city when I was there for 2 years. I have seen so many times taking bribes from shopkeepers."
(With PTI inputs)