Gujarat: 7 Cops Sacked, 3 Suspended After Delhi Man Claims He Paid Bribe To Carry Liquor

Manchanda, who arrived in Ahmedabad to watch the final match of the ICC World Cup between India and Australia on Sunday in his car, did not file any formal complaint.

The Ahmedabad Police has suspended three of its personnel and terminated the services of seven Traffic Brigade (TRB) staffers for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a Delhi-based businessman Kanav Manchanda for carrying a liquor bottle in his car, news agency PTI reported, citing an official.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-East), Safin Hasan, said on Tuesday that the action came after a video was posted by Manchanda, in which he accused some police personnel of extracting Rs 20,000 from him during his visit.

Manchanda, who arrived in Ahmedabad from Delhi to watch the final match of the ICC World Cup between India and Australia on Sunday in his car, did not file any formal complaint. After the video went viral, the police took cognisance of his video and took action against 10 cops who were allegedly involved in the act, he said.

"While we have already ordered a detailed inquiry into the alleged incident, our preliminary probe revealed this incident did take place. We have suspended three of our policemen and terminated services of seven TRB jawans for their alleged role. The suspended cops include one head constable and two constables," the DCP said, as quoted by PTI.

In the video, Manchanda said he was stopped by some policemen at Nana Chiloda Circle on the outskirts of the city on Sunday morning when he was on his way to the Narendra Modi Stadium in his car, as reported by PTI.

Since he was carrying a liquor bottle in his car, police allegedly asked him to pay a bribe, promising that no action would be taken against him considering that Gujarat is a dry state. Finally, the policemen settled for Rs 20,000, which Manchanda claimed to have paid through UPI, PTI reported.

Manchanda, to support his claim, shared the screenshot of his mobile phone, which suggested that he had paid Rs 20,000 to one Arun Hadiyol as directed by the cops.

"Since the victim has not lodged any complaint, we have sent our team to Delhi to take his detailed statement and also a formal complaint if he wishes to. The person who received the money through UPI will also be called for an investigation," Hasan said, as quoted by PTI. It is pertinent to mention that carrying or consuming liquor without a proper licence is illegal in Gujarat under the Prohibition Law.