The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has arrested a police inspector and constable from Sainthamaruthu Police Station for allegedly demanding and accepting a Rs. 20,000 bribe in connection with a drug possession case.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has taken two officers into custody on suspicion of corrupt practices. Police Inspector Balasubramaniam Pragalathan and Police Constable Hasan Maulana Athuhar, both stationed at Sainthamaruthu Police Station, face allegations of soliciting and receiving a bribe.
The investigation centres on a case involving a suspect held for possessing ice, a form of methamphetamine. According to CIABOC, the officers allegedly sought the money to influence how the case would be reported to court. Specifically, they are accused of seeking payment in exchange for misrepresenting the quantity of drugs seized—allegedly reporting only 70 milligrams of heroin rather than the full amount of ice found in the suspect's possession. This underreporting, investigators claim, was intended to result in reduced charges and a lighter sentence for the detainee.
CIABC stated that the constable obtained the money on the instructions of the inspector. The police constable was apprehended on August 17 at approximately 2:40 p.m. near Zahira College in Kalmunai Kudy, while the inspector was arrested later that day around 4:05 p.m. at Periya Nilaveli Police Station.
