The Bhandup police on Friday registered a case of criminal breach of trust against two police constables, including a woman constable, after cash and valuables worth Rs 5.31 lakh seized in different cases allegedly went missing from their custody.
According to the officials, the two constables, identified as Nirmala Lohare and Bharat Suryavanshi, were posted at Bhandup police station between 2012 and 2019. Both of them were given the charge of keeping the seized valuables there safe. They had to take all the seized valuables from the police station and submit them in court, police said.
“Earlier, in 2012, Lohare was doing this job and after she was transferred to Local Arms, Suryavanshi took over that work from her,†said an officer from Bhandup police station. In 2019, Suryavanshi got transferred to the crime branch.
“A new woman police constable, Sangeeta Wagh, took charge of that job at the police station in 2019. She verified seized valuables with the documents and came to know that Rs 3,21,587 cash and 96.35 gm gold valued at Rs 2,10,200 were missing,†said senior police inspector Nitin Unavhane of Bhandup police station.
An inquiry was set up when the authorities realised that Lohare and Suryavanshi were responsible for the valuables that went missing. A case was registered under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant or a banker, in respect of the property entrusted to him) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
“No one has been arrested so far. They claim that they don’t know when the valuables went missing. We are trying to ascertain whether the valuables were stolen by them or someone else…,†said Unavhane.
