5 Maha cops held for stocking mephedrone, accepting bribe

Five policemen in Nagpur in Maharashtra were arrested for allegedly botching up a drug case, stocking the contraband and taking a Rs 2.45 lakh bribe to shield an accused, an official said on Monday.

Constables Sachin Emprediwar, Rajendra Sirbhate, Dilip Awgan, Roshan Nimbarte and Abhay Marode had apprehended a drug peddler Jamal on October 14 and recovered 34 grammes of mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug, the official said.

"However, Jamal managed to escape from police custody and one of his accomplices, identified as Javed, met the accused policemen and gave them Rs 2.45 lakh to ensure the former remains free," he said.

The bribe money and the mephedrone stock was kept in a cupboard in Nandanvan police station here, he said.

"Acting on a tip-off, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vijay Dhapawkar raided the police station on Sunday afternoon and seized the cash and the mephedrone stock," the official said.

The five policemen have been charged under relevant sections of The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 for abetting and willfully aiding a criminal conspiracy, the official informed.