Police Inspector not quizzed nor named in FIR
KERI
The bribery allegation against the Terekhol Coastal Security police exposed a deep-seated corruption by some ‘black sheep’ in the department, but what’s particularly alarming is the alleged leniency shown towards former TCS Police Inspector – prominently named in a complaint filed by sports operator Pruthvi H N.
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) was quick to arrest suspended Head Constable Sanjay Talkar after the Sessions Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea; followed by the arrest of HC Raju Kalangutkar on similar bribery charges.
But then TCS PI, who was quietly transferred to the GRP after the expose, has remained untouched at least as of now. All this is despite the complaint and the Court raising concerns about the alleged manipulation of records at the PS during the PI’s tenure.
The Goan possesses the FIR along with copies of all relevant documents and evidence, all of which have already been submitted by the complainant paraglider to the ACB for investigation. The FIR, which only identifies HC Talkar as the accused, has “others” as unnamed co-accused.
On the contrary, in the complaint, Pruthvi alleged both Talkar and one PI Videsh Pilgaonkar demanded and accepted the bribe. The 39-year-old also stated that he met HC Talkar and PI Pilgaonkar at a specified location in Keri, where the complainant claimed he paid a bribe.
“During this visit, PI Pilgaonkar demanded that I pay him a bribe of Rs 10,000 on a monthly basis to operate my adventure sports business smoothly. Initially, I refused to pay this illegal bribe amount as I possessed all the necessary permissions from the Tourism department. However, HC Talkar pressured me to do so, threatening harassment and closure of my legal business if I didn't comply. Eventually, I agreed to pay the bribe after negotiating it down to Rs 8,000 per month,” reads an excerpt from the complaint, which served as the basis for registering the FIR.
The complainant also alleged that the PI demanded Rs 8,000 monthly bribe be paid to HC Talkar, after which the money was transferred via GPay. A copy of the GPay transaction was sent via WhatsApp to Talkar and the PI’s official mobile number. “In a few days, I received a call from HC Talkar instructing me not to make future payments via GPay,” Pruthvi said, narrating how the harassment continued.
The complainant described he was subsequently pressured to pay an advance bribe for two months and had his glider and harness seized from the adventure sports site in Keri.
It is reliably learnt that the PI has not been interrogated so far, nor summons issued.
Sessions Judge Sherin Paul had indicated that the identity of other police officials involved in the case be determined while rejecting Talkar’s anticipatory bail plea last Friday. “The custody of the applicant (Talkar) is required for the purpose of determining all the other officials who are involved in the matter as there is manipulation of the records of the police station and a thorough investigation is required on this count, more so, as it is apparent that attempts have been made to falsely implicate the complainant under the Goa Tourist Places (Protection and Maintenance) Act, 2001 which is also against society,” the Judge observed.
