Four Mumbai cops suspended for 'planting' drugs on Kalina man, say police

CCTV grab of the incident

Mumbai Police on Saturday evening said that four police officials of its force were suspended for alleged misconduct during a search on a Kalina area based man who had claimed that the cops 'planted' drugs on him.

The incident was captured in a CCTV footage that went viral on social media platforms.

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"All four cops seen in the video has been suspended," said Raj Tilak Roushan, DCP Zone-IX of Mumbai Police.

He added, "While examining the CCTV footage that has gone viral on social media, we have identified the officials as being from Khar Police Station. All four officers seen in the footage have been suspended pending further investigation."

Earlier, the Mumbai Police had launched an investigation into the case where as many as four police officials from Khar Police Station were seen searching a man while being dressed in civil dress. The CCTV footage had emerged on social media platforms that showed them searching an individual in the Kalina area, allegedly for drug-related purposes. In the footage, one officer is seen 'planting' something on the person's pocket before detaining him for possession of 20 grams of mephedrone.

The individual was later released by the police after the CCTV footage became public.

"We took cognizance of the video that had surfaced online and had initiated a probe in the matter," a senior Mumbai Police officer had earlier stated.

Watch CCTV footage of the incident below

According to sources, the individual being searched by the officials, and on whom the alleged drugs were planted, has been identified as Daniel, an employee of Shahbaz Khan. Khan, who runs an animal farm at the location, is responsible for the care of the animals. "I have been taking care of this land for the past 40 years. This incident was orchestrated in collusion with a builder and a local politician to frame us. A month before this, I was threatened with a drugs case, but the setup happened on Friday evening while I was at home. Daniel, who works with me at the farm, was framed. Fortunately, the entire incident was captured on CCTV footage," Khan told Mid-Day.

According to Khan, around 6 pm on Friday, four officials from the Khar Police Station, despite the farm being outside their jurisdiction, arrived at the property and began frisking Daniel. They later took him to the police station, alleging that 20 grams of Mephedrone were found on him. "When I reviewed the CCTV footage, it clearly shows the officer planting something in Daniel's pocket before removing it and taking him into custody. He was released at 9 pm after the footage went viral," Khan added.