The joint operation by the ADG and DIG in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, against illegal extortion from trucks caused a stir in the police department. The officers conducted a nighttime raid in the Narhi area, catching several policemen and middlemen red-handed. However, some corrupt officers managed to escape. In the aftermath, the Yogi government transferred Ballia's SP and Additional SP on Thursday and suspended the Deputy SP (Sadar). Additionally, orders were issued for a vigilance probe into the properties of COs, SHOs, station in-charges, and other policemen involved in this extortion scam.
On Wednesday night, ADG Varanasi Zone Piyush Mordia and DIG Azamgarh Zone Vaibhav Krishna conducted a secret raid at Bharouli intersection in the Narhi police station area on the UP-Bihar border. According to sources, the officers arrived at the scene posing as truck helpers. When police officers were caught extorting money from the truck driver, two policemen and 16 intermediaries were arrested. However, several constables managed to flee.
Escaping Policemen
It is reported that both officers kept the raid so confidential that even Ballia's SP wasn't informed. Meanwhile, the station in-charge was tallying extortion accounts. As soon as the policemen learned about the raid by the DIG and ADG, they began fleeing the station. The police inspector was among those who escaped.
Source: aajtak
According to the DIG, 18 people involved in this extortion racket have been arrested, including two policemen and several civilians acting as intermediaries. These intermediaries were working under the guise of the police to extort money. He also mentioned that the raid was conducted in plain clothing.
Yogi Government's Action
According to a statement from the state government, Ballia's Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma and Additional SP Durga Prasad Tiwari have been transferred and placed on a waiting list. At the same time, Deputy SP Sadar Shubh Suchit has been suspended. Furthermore, vigilance investigations have been ordered into the properties of the Deputy SP Sadar, Narhi station SHO, and police post in-charge.
The statement mentioned that following the revelation of police officers extorting money from vehicles at the Bihar border, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken strict action following a zero-tolerance policy.
Earlier, DIG (Azamgarh Zone) Vaibhav Krishna told reporters that ADG (Varanasi Zone) Piyush Mordia had received numerous complaints about forced extortion by police officers at the border. During the raid, two policemen involved in extortion were arrested, while three others managed to escape. Several intermediaries were also apprehended. The extortion gang was charging Rs 500 from each truck. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 trucks cross the border every night, making the extortion amount significantly large.
According to police sources, information about extortion and bribery at the Bharouli checkpoint had been received several days prior. However, continuous surveillance was conducted for four days, and once everything was finalized, the raid took place. In this case, DIG immediately suspended all police personnel, including the Korandtadi post in-charge, and legal action was taken against other policemen stationed at this police station.
