Noida: The ‘bribe’ rate card of a special team of Gautam Buddh Nagar Police went viral on social media, forcing an embarrassed administration to suspend the officers named and dissolve the concerned unit on Friday.
On Thursday, a man sent DGP Uttar Pradesh, ADG Zone Meerut, PRO SSP and UP Police a WhatsApp message that showed from where bribes are collected and how they are distributed among the officers of the Special Operations Group. The list also named the SP (Rural) of the district.
According to the tweet, money was being collected from places such as shops, petrol pumps and hotels. The total amount collected was Rs 3.5 lakh and collection of Rs 50,000 was still pending, it showed.
It also showed that the inspector was to receive Rs 90,000, ‘SPRA Madam’ was to get Rs 25,000 while Rs 50,000 were reserved for ‘Holi’ and Rs 20,000 for ‘Bhandara’. It is not clear what these words are code for.
Screenshot of the rate chart.
A senior police officer, however, said that the screenshots do not prove that the officers were taking bribe and it could be that bribe was being taken in their name.
SSP Ajay Pal Sharma confirmed to News 18 that he had received a complaint.
"An inquiry has been initiated by SP city. As a result of the complaint, the special operation group (SOG) has been dissolved. The entire team comprising 18 policemen have been sent to district lines. Those whose name was prominent will be dismissed. But that's subject to the enquiry report," said SSP Sharma.
The SSP is himself monitoring the inquiry. The SOG is a unit of Crime Branch which carries out special operations. It reports to the crime branch and to the SSP directly.
According to sources, there have been reports of extortion by the unit earlier too. Disputes happen when the distribution of money is unequal but are usually resolved. This time, a disgruntled officer sent the screenshot directly to the DGP resulting in the swift and strict action, they said.