SHO accused of shielding drug peddler, suspended

Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, March 26

Station House Officer of the Satnampura Police Station Sulakhan Singh was suspended by Senior Superintendent of Police, Kapurthala, Sandeep Sharma on the charges of shielding drug peddler Tarun Kumar. The Phagwara police have registered a case against SHO Sulkhan Singh under Sections 7, 8 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act on the charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. Inspector General of Police LK Yadav said Phagwara DSP Dev Dutt Sharma, after a detailed investigation, recommended immediate action against the erring policeman.

IG Yadav said the accused drug peddler was also booked under Section 15 of the Medical Council Act, 1956 and 420 of the IPC along with Sections 61, 1 and14 of the Excise Act as the accused was running a drug shop without any valid licence. The IG said the Health Department had been asked to check the menace and close shops without any valid licence. The IG stressed the need for more co-ordination between the police and the health department to stop the menace and to nab the drugs peddlers.

The DSP said the drug peddler was a resident of Mehli Gate in Phagwara. He was arrested with 270 intoxicant tablets and 16 bottles of illicit liquor at Satnampura on March 21, but the SHO after accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the drug peddler, did not show intoxicant tablets and showed only 16 bottles of liquor. The DSP said when bribe reports leaked out, the SHO returned the bribe amount.