Visakhapatnam: Police force harbours rotten elements

Visakhapatnam: The involvement of police officials in illegal activities and civil disputes in Vizag city seems to be on the rise.

The recent arrest of inspector of Fourth-Town police station, K Balakrishna by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, has raised several doubts over the performance of the city police and their alleged nexus with anti-social elements.

Sources in the police said that over 18 cops, including inspectors, sub-inspectors and constables had been either trapped by the ACB or suspended by the city police chief for their corrupt practices and irregularities in the past few months.

A local minister said recently that the police's involvement in illegal activities had pushed up the crime rate in Vizag city and also impacted its brand image. If Vizag lost its peaceful atmosphere, it would lose investments in various sectors too, he added.

A senior officer with the ACB said on condition of anonymity that their investigation into some cases proved that some police officers in the city were indulging in land grabbing and civil disputes for kickbacks.

The tainted police officers were also employing some private persons for monthly collections and a few other illegal activities, he added. Corruption is rampant in the police department in Vizag city and sometimes the city police chief also receives complaints from the common public regarding the police demanding bribes for performing their duty.

Corruption is deeply rooted in the force and it is not possible to trap all the tainted cops overnight, says DSP of ACB (Visakha Urban) K. Ramakrishna Prasad.

As caste and political influence have been playing a key role in posts and transfers of police officers in the city since the past few months, they don't hesitate to indulge in illegal activities for huge amounts, said a police officer in the Vizag Police Commissionerate.

With the real estate business and crimes related to it touching its peak at the city's outskirts, some police officers had been trying to get posts on the outskirts of the city to make money, he added.