An association of angadias (traditional couriers) in south Mumbai had written a letter to a senior police officer alleging that a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) had repeatedly been demanding Rs 10 lakh as a bribe per month to allow them to operate their business
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DCP demanded Rs 10 lakh monthly bribe to allow to run business: Mumbai angadia body complains to senior cop
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An association of angadias (traditional couriers) in south Mumbai had written a letter to a senior police officer alleging that a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) had repeatedly been demanding Rs 10 lakh as a bribe per month to allow them to operate their business, a police official said on Sunday.
He said this letter was written to a senior officer of Mumbai Police on December 7 last year alleging that the DCP had told angadias that they either agree to pay Rs 10 lakh bribe per month or else he will take action against them.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at LT Marg police station against three officers of Mumbai Police and two of them were arrested. The DCP was not named in the FIR.
The association stated in their letter to the Additional Commissioner of Police (south) that at least 100 'angadias' operate between Kalbadevi to Mumbadevi in south Mumbai and transport materials and cash in exchange for 0.1 per cent fee of the value of the material or cash.
In November last year, during a meeting, the association president informed the angadias that the DCP concerned had demanded a monthly bribe of Rs 10 lakh but the association didn't pay any money, the letter said.
But, on December 2 last year, seven to eight policemen from the LT Marg police station dressed in plain clothes started checking bags of the angadia traders who were transporting materials and cash in Pofalewadi 2 and Pofalwadi 3 areas, the letter stated.
"They were taken to Mumbadevi police chowki for checking their bags. Those who had Rs 5 lakh cash in the bag were made to pay Rs 50,000 and those who had Rs 10 lakh cash were forced to pay Rs 1 or Rs 2 lakh. Several angadias paid the bribe and got their men out of the chowki," the letter claimed.
On December 3, the same action was repeated on the instructions of the LT Marg police station inspector, it alleged.
"The next day, a member of the association went to meet the DCP in his office. The DCP told him to speak with the association's president," it said.
Between December 2 and December 4, some LT Marg police station officials extorted money from angadias, it alleged.
The police official confirmed that the complaint letter was received.
The Mumbai police had recently registered an offence against three policemen for allegedly robbing and extorting money from angadias and their employees in south Mumbai.
The Mumbai police's crime branch arrested assistant police inspector Nitin Kadam and sub-inspector Samadhan Jamdade, while inspector Om Vangate of LT Marg police station is a wanted accused, an official had said.
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