Cops rob Rs 20 lakh from jeweller, suspended

The trio, attached to a police station here, had stolen the cash from the jeweller, R Jalal of Chennai, during a vehicle check, said inspector T Ramachandran. He said, Jalal was proceeding from Chennai to Nagapattinam by car when three policemen on duty at a check post at Aallpet on the outskirts of Cuddalore stopped the vehicle for an inspection early on Saturday. 

They found a bag containing jewels and cash and questioned Jalal about the source, he added. Ramachandran said the three - Antony (head constable) and Raja and Ekambaram (constables) had asked the jeweller to hand over the bag failing which they threatened to slap hawala case against him. 

When Jalal went back to his car after the interrogations, he checked the bag and found Rs 20 lakh was missing. Later, he filed a complaint at the Cuddalore police station. Based on the orders of the Cuddalore Superintendent of Police C Vijayakumar, a special team held inquiries with personnel at the check post. It was then found that the three had hidden the cash in a bush nearby. The money was recovered and the three were suspended.