DB team sub-inspector accused of demanding Rs 70,000 bribe, video made of payoff

A police sub-inspector posted in the DB team of a district police station, along with a few other policemen, faces serious allegations. Sources say the policemen demanded money to allow an illegal trade in banned Magur fish to continue. The matter is so far only at the level of allegations, with no official confirmation and no response yet from the policemen concerned.

According to the information available, a trader dealing in Magur fish was allegedly asked for Rs 70,000 to be spared police action and allowed to run the business without interruption. Sources say that after the demand, the trader paid Rs 40,000 as a first instalment. Notably, the accused policemen did not come to collect the money themselves, instead using a private person as an intermediary to receive it.

It is said that while handing over the money, the trader made a video of that private person. As soon as the accused policemen got wind of the video, they are said to have called the trader and had it deleted. Following this, they allegedly demanded the remaining Rs 30,000.

If these allegations turn out to be true, the matter will not remain confined to the illegal trade in banned Magur fish, but will also raise serious questions about extortion carried out under the threat of police action. Discussion of the matter is quietly intensifying within the police department. It is learnt that information about the demand for money and the role of the policemen concerned has reached senior officers, and attention is now on what investigation and action the senior officers take next.

If the allegations are proved true, questions will arise as to why policemen, who are meant to uphold the law, would be seen negotiating money to protect an illegal Magur fish business. It is also not clear whether a private middleman was genuinely involved in the matter. The truth behind the Rs 40,000 paid as a first instalment, and on whose instructions the remaining Rs 30,000 was demanded, are also not yet clear.

Answers to all these questions can only emerge after an impartial investigation. It is therefore considered necessary for senior police officers to investigate the matter thoroughly and clarify the role of the policemen concerned.