FIR filed against suspended cops in Vaishali gold theft case

FIR Filed Against Police Personnel for Alleged Theft

An FIR has been filed against four police personnel, including a suspended SHO and a sub-inspector from the Lalganj police station in Vaishali. They are accused of stealing gold and silver ornaments recovered from a burglary suspect’s home during a raid on December 30 last year.

Details of the Allegations

The suspended SHO, Santosh Kumar, and sub-inspector Sumanji Jha are named in the FIR. They allegedly hid seized gold and silver jewelry, along with lakhs of rupees, from the home of burglar Rampreet Sahni in Bilanpur village.

Investigation Findings

On Monday, Tirhut range DIG Chandan Kumar Kushwaha and CID SP Pramod Kumar Yadav investigated the case. They inspected Sahni’s house with a FSL team and discovered that the earth was dug up, with soil kept under a bed.

Initial Raid and Arrests

On December 30, Sadar SDPO-2 Gopal Mandal claimed that police raided Sahni’s house and recovered stolen items. His wife, Kaushalya Devi, was arrested and sent to judicial custody. SDPO Mandal stated that SHO Santosh Kumar had received information about stolen items in Sahni’s house.

Local Claims of Misconduct

Locals and Sahni’s relatives allege that the Lalganj police did not display the seized gold and silver ornaments during the press conference. Gena Lal Sahni, a relative of Rampreet Sahni, claimed that police took away ₹50 lakh in cash, two kilograms of gold, and six kilograms of silver, which were hidden underground. The police only showed three TVs, two live cartridges, one empty cartridge, and some utensils.

Official Response

After the investigation, the DIG confirmed that the allegations appeared to be true. He directed that an FIR be registered against the involved police officers. If found guilty, the officers will face strict departmental action.

Investigation Procedures

The DIG noted that video recording was not done during the raid, and the recovered gold and cash were not listed according to the BNSS act. He stated that the allegations against the police team involved in the raid were found to be prima facie correct, and a thorough investigation is ongoing.

Previous Incidents and Ongoing Investigations

Vaishali SP Lalit Mohan Sharma, who was on medical leave, ordered a fair investigation upon returning to duty. The investigation was assigned to Additional SP (Traffic) Prem Sagar. Following the DIG’s directive, SHO Santosh Kumar and SI Sumanji Jha were suspended. Jha has a history of misconduct, having been caught accepting a bribe of ₹11,000 in September 2024.

Broader Context of Police Misconduct

In a related incident, the Patna rail police arrested Gaya GRP SHO Rajesh Kumar Singh for involvement in a gold biscuit robbery. Four of his associates have been suspended. Investigations suggest a broader criminal-police nexus in such operations.