Vijay govt suspends cop who sought bribe on GPay, 4 others in corruption crackdown

Five police personnel in Tamil Nadu have faced disciplinary action within a week in separate cases involving allegations of demanding or accepting bribes, with the action ranging from suspension to dismissal.The cases have been reported from Tirunelveli, Chennai and surrounding areas, involving alleged bribes ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000. Internal Vigilance Cell enquiries were conducted in several of the cases before action was taken against the personnel.The first case involves head constable Sorna Raj of Melapalayam Police Station in Tirunelveli City. He was suspended after allegedly demanding Rs 1,000 from a two-wheeler rider during a routine vehicle check. The rider had incomplete documents, following which Sorna Raj allegedly sought money and shared his Google Pay number with him to receive the payment.In Chennai, sub-inspector Sivaraj and constable Vivek of North Beach Police Station were suspended following an Internal Vigilance Cell enquiry into a Rs 10,000 payment made through Google Pay. The money was allegedly accepted from the owner of a stolen two-wheeler in connection with the release of the vehicle. The department also took action against a sub-inspector posted at Madhavaram Police Station. A preliminary enquiry by the Internal Vigilance Cell examined a complaint that the officer had demanded a bribe. The charge was found to be established, following which the officer was suspended.The most serious disciplinary action was taken against sub-inspector Marishwaran of Puzhal Police Station, who was dismissed from service following a departmental enquiry into allegations of demanding and accepting bribes. The allegations against Marishwaran date back to 2024, when he was posted at Anna Nagar Police Station. The charges were examined during departmental proceedings and were found to be true, according to the details of the case. Authorities subsequently ordered his dismissal from service, citing repeated instances of demanding bribes.The five cases involve different circumstances, from a routine vehicle check and the release of a stolen two-wheeler to other instances of alleged demands for money. They also resulted in different forms of disciplinary action based on the findings of the respective enquiries.The latest actions come amid continued scrutiny of corruption allegations within the Tamil Nadu police force. In February, the state police chief had directed officers to review prolonged suspensions of personnel facing disciplinary, vigilance or criminal proceedings on a case-by-case basis.- Ends