The suspension of two policemen for alleged complicity in a robbery case, is not enough. The two policemen were apparently part of a plan hatched by RTI activist Deepak Gadekar (one is used to hearing stories of activists extorting money from their victims, not outright robbery) to relieve a Mangalorean businessman of Rs 10.2 lakh. It is learnt that Gadekar, through his network of friends, acquaintances and partners in crime promised the businessman a cash exchange deal, which have become a rage following Prime Minister Narendar Modi’s decision to demonetize Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. The modus operandi in this crime is similar to an earlier one in which Rs 24 lakh was stolen within the jurisdiction of the Saligao police station. A constable from the Mapusa station was suspended after a preliminary investigation. The impulse to make a quick buck while Prime Minister Modi labours to unearth black money, exposes the worst in human nature. To think that the men who swore to protect common citizens and uphold the law broke it without thinking about the consequences is worrisome. Cases of this nature should be speeded up so that the policemen in question cannot take advantage of the full-pay they receive while on suspension and the punishment must be exemplary.
