When cops turn robbers

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, Oct 11: Robbery by three cops at a house in Galfutar Saturday evening has dealt a heavy blow to Metropolitan Police´s assertion that security arrangements in the capital for the ongoing Dashain festival have been tightened.

The cops posted at Metropolitan Police Circle Maharajgunj allegedly broke into one Bishnu Neupane´s residence at Golfutar of Mahankal VDC-5 at around 5:30 PM and made off with Rs12, 000 and a bank check worth Rs 50, 000.

The cops-turned-robbers have been identified as constables Kushal Chandra Bhandari, Komal Bahadur Basnet and Jitendra Hajara. They are now in police custody.

Maharajgunj police nabbed the three cops after victims had accidentally identified one of the robbers -- Jitendra Hajara -- at its office a few hours later.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Deepak Thapa, chief of Maharajgunj Police, said he immediately suspended the cops after confirming their crime. According to him, constable Bhandari had already been warned twice for questionable conduct.

“They had finished their duties at 2 PM and appeared for regular roll-call at 6:30 PM. They are found to have robbed the house in that intermission,” explained Thapa.

The trio had stormed Neupane´s rented first floor after two staffers of Kumari Saving & Credit Cooperative Pvt Ltd entered the house to collect regular deposit installment. “First, they battered a couple, Neupane´s close relatives, and the staffers, a girl and a boy,” said Thapa. “Then, they extorted the cash and also forced the cooperative staffers to sign the check.”

Thapa said that the cops did not possess arms while robbing the house. All three have been booked on ´forced theft´ charge. “By intent, this is a robbery indeed. As there were only three accused, they could not be booked on a robbery charge. Under the laws, a robbery is an act that involves at least four persons forcefully breaking into a place and getting hold of things.

DSP Thapa said that the cops committed the crime for money. Constable Bhandari was found with the looted amount after the dramatic unraveling of the case at the police station.

Superintendent of Police (SP), chief of Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK), said that the accused cops would be sacked from the police service. He also said that the alleged trio would be made public on Monday.