Noida Police have suspended six personnel, including the Station House Officer of the Special Operations Group (SOG) at Phase 2 police station, after the team allegedly kept senior officers informed about the recovery of a stolen truck only after a delay of around five days.
The action was ordered by Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Lakshmi Singh and carried out by Central Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Praveen Ranjan. The truck, which was carrying goods, had reportedly been stolen in Delhi and was recovered by the Phase 2 SOG team on the day before Diwali.
The suspended personnel are SOG in-charge Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Singh, Sub-Inspector Vikas Sikarwar, head constables Ashish Kumar and Zuber Rizvi, and constables Bhudev and Ashu. They have been accused of failing to promptly inform senior police officers about the recovery and of keeping the matter within the team for several days.
According to the report, the delay came to light when Delhi Police contacted Noida Police officials seeking information about the stolen truck. The communication led senior officers to learn that the vehicle had already been recovered by the Phase 2 SOG team but that the recovery had not been reported to them at the time.
The recovered vehicle was linked to a theft complaint registered at a police station in Delhi. The report does not identify the exact police station, the value of the goods in the truck or the current status of the vehicle and the goods.
After the matter was brought to the police commissioner’s attention, DCP Praveen Ranjan ordered the suspension of all six personnel. The department is also examining whether other police personnel played a role in the recovery or in the delayed reporting of the case.
The inquiry is expected to establish the circumstances in which the SOG team decided to withhold information from senior officers and whether any other personnel were involved. The report does not state whether a separate criminal case or departmental charge sheet has been filed against the suspended personnel.
The action follows another recent disciplinary case in Gautam Buddh Nagar in which the in-charge of a cyber police station and three other personnel were suspended over allegations that a team was sent for a raid without informing senior officers. The latest suspensions indicate that the commissionerate is treating unauthorised or delayed reporting of police action as a departmental accountability issue.
Further action will depend on the inquiry into the recovery of the stolen truck and the conduct of the personnel involved.
