Police Crackdown on Extortion in Uttar Pradesh: Arrests and Suspensions Follow Raid

Two Uttar Pradesh Police personnel were arrested and two others suspended for allegedly extorting truck drivers along the state's border with Bihar. A raid conducted by senior officials led to multiple arrests, highlighting an extensive illegal operation collecting Rs 500 per vehicle.

Two Uttar Pradesh Police personnel were arrested and two others suspended for allegedly extorting truck drivers along the state's border with Bihar in the Narhi area, officials said on Thursday.

The action follows complaints to Additional Director General of Police (Varanasi zone) Piyush Mordia about extortion by policemen along the border, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Azamgarh zone) Vaibhav Krishna told reporters.

Acting on the complaints, senior officials in plain clothes conducted a raid at Bharouli Tiraha in Narhi late on Wednesday, Krishna said. During the raid, two policemen involved in extortion were apprehended while three others managed to escape. Additionally, 16 middlemen were taken into custody.

The police have suspended Narhi police station in-charge Panna Lal and the Korantadih police post in-charge with immediate effect. Charges have been filed against the arrested individuals as well as the absconding policemen, he said. Krishna added that the extortion gang collected Rs 500 from each vehicle, estimating that about a thousand vehicles cross the border each night, highlighting the scale of the operation.

(With inputs from agencies.)