An FIR has been registered against two policemen from the Lalganj police station in Bihar’s Vaishali district following allegations of embezzlement during a raid last month. Lalganj SHO Santosh Kumar and sub-inspector Suman Jha face allegations of misappropriating valuable items, including gold, silver and cash, seized during a police operation but not documented in official records. Both have been suspended.
The FIR comes after an investigation ordered by the Tirhut range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Chandan Kushwaha.
“Preliminary findings indicate illegal actions on the part of the officers, and as a result, an FIR will be filed,” said DIG Kushwaha. He said that a comprehensive inquiry would be conducted.
The police action follows accusations that during a raid at the residence of an alleged thief in Bilnapur village, police seized stolen items such as TVs, utensils, and cartridges. However, claims later surfaced that additional valuables, including several kilograms of gold, silver, and large sums of money, were also found but were excluded from the seizure list.
The controversy erupted when, on December 31, Lalganj sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Gopal Mandal announced the dismantling of a gang of thieves operating in the region. During the briefing, he said that the raid conducted at the home of one Ramprit Sahni led to the recovery of various stolen goods. But allegations quickly surfaced that the police had failed to mention more valuable items, including gold and cash, and only common household items like utensils and TVs were allegedly presented as recovered goods.
Ramprit’s relative, Gena Lal Sahni, alleged that the police “removed approximately two kilograms of gold, six kilograms of silver, and large amounts of cash” from the house during the raid. The items were allegedly not recorded in the official inventory, he and several villagers claimed.
Following the allegations, the matter was referred for an in-depth investigation, and Vaishali’s Superintendent of Police suspended SHO Kumar and sub-inspector Jha.
