Ghaziabad: Five cops suspended for extorting Rs 20K from students

Five policemen have been suspended for allegedly extorting rupees 20,000 from two college students in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad city, police said on Friday.

A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against the errant policemen, they said.

Two head constables and three constables approached a girl and a boy sitting in a car parked outside the Indirapuram Habitat Centre on July 22. The policemen threatened to call their parents and send them to jail, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad, Sudhir Kumar Singh said.

The police team asked the students to cough up rupees 20,000 to avoid prosecution. The students paid them the money, he said.

Later, the boy tweeted about the incident to director general of police, Uttar Pradesh, following which Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar was directed to look into the charges, Singh said.

The SP's inquiry found the five policemen guilty, he said.

Head constables Keshav Ram and Surendra Singh and constables Amit Kumar, Somesh and Amit Mishra were suspended on Thursday, the SSP said.

A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against them. If they are found guilty, they could also be terminated from duty, Singh said.