Extorting cops transferred, arrest may follow

Chennai: The city police on Sunday said the three policemen from Elephant Gate station who extorted Rs 1.5 lakh cash from a hawala money transporter, have been transferred. The three may be arrested, sources added. This is the second incident in a week where policemen were accused of stealing and extorting. Last week, two policemen from Egmore station allegedly stole abandoned two-wheelers from Egmore railway station and sold them in Pudupet market.

The Egmore crime inspector was transferred after two of his subordinates stole the vehicles and sold them.In the latest case, the three policemen attached to law and order, traffic and crime wing of Elephant Gate police station, together had extorted the money from Srinivas, a man from Andhra Pradesh who was carrying '40 lakh cash for a businessman in Sowcarpet.

The three had taken Srinivas to an isolated area and took Rs1.5 lakh from him before letting him go. The incident came to light after Srinivas told about it to a police officer in AP who in turn alerted a Chennai officer.Based on a primary inquiry report, senior officials summoned the three men who confessed to the crime and returned the money.They had since been transferred and other legal action, including possible arrest, may follow soon, a police officer said.