Eight police personnel, including five sub-inspectors, have been suspended in Patna after an official inquiry found prima facie involvement in the alleged release of two detainees following a narcotics raid without recording their names in the first information report or informing senior officers. A separate FIR and departmental proceedings have been initiated.
City SP (West) Sanket Kumar said the case relates to a raid conducted by Phulwarisharif police on October 26 after receiving information about the sale and purchase of narcotic substances. Police arrested Aqib Khan alias Mohd Saqib Khan, 32, a resident of Naya Tola Pathan Toli, and allegedly recovered narcotics from his possession. He was subsequently sent to judicial custody.
An FIR in Khan’s case was registered under Sections 8(c) and 21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Sections 25(1-B) and 26 of the Arms Act. The police action against the eight personnel concerns the handling of two other men who were detained during the same operation.
According to the City SP, Mohd Aftab Alam and Mohd Ehsan were taken to the Phulwarisharif police station, but their names were allegedly omitted from the FIR. Senior officers were also allegedly not informed about their detention. Police suspect that members of the raiding team accepted a substantial amount of money from the two men and released them on personal recognition bonds, or PR bonds.
The alleged misconduct came to the attention of senior authorities after a dispute among the policemen over the sharing of the suspected bribe. An inquiry conducted by the assistant superintendent of police, Phulwarisharif, indicated the involvement of eight personnel, the City SP said.
Those suspended include sub-inspectors Diwakar Prasad, Narad Muni Singh, Ritesh Kumar and Pawan Kumar; assistant sub-inspector Akash Kumar; PTC personnel Sabir Alam; and constables Anand Raj and Shubham Kumar. The police account did not identify the fifth sub-inspector by name in the supplied report.
The case places the focus on the documentation and supervisory controls that govern police raids, detention and the registration of cases under narcotics and arms laws. The alleged omission of detainees from official records is now part of the departmental and criminal investigation, while the suspension order removes the accused personnel from active duty during the proceedings.
Police said the role of some local residents was also under scrutiny. The separate FIR linked to the alleged misconduct will examine the suspected bribe, the release of the two detainees and the conduct of the raiding team. Authorities said the exact role of each accused person, as well as the possible involvement of others, would be established during the ongoing investigation.
The suspended personnel will face departmental proceedings, while investigators continue examining the alleged release and the circumstances surrounding the raid. Police have not yet disclosed the outcome of the separate FIR or any further arrests in connection with the alleged misconduct.
