Ballia Truck Bribe Row: Salary Rs 50K Per Month... Incorme Rs 1.5 Cr... How Much 'Maaal' Cops Were Making In On UP-Bihar Border

Ballia: In a shocking revelation from the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border at Ballia, police officers have been caught extorting illegal money from trucks entering from Bihar. Following the exposure of this racket, officials from constables to the SP have faced severe action. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has swiftly removed the ASP and SP from their posts, while several constables and COs have been suspended.

An Illicit Income of ₹1.5 Crore Per Month

The crackdown revealed a staggering monthly illicit income of ₹1.5 crore. Approximately 1,000 trucks passed through this border every night, with each driver being forced to pay an illegal toll of ₹500 to the police officers. This racket allowed the officers to pocket around ₹5 lakh per night.

The Raid that Uncovered the Scandal

The extortion came to light when ADG and DIG jointly raided the Bharouli check post following numerous complaints about continuous extortion by police officers. During the raid, two police officers were caught red-handed, along with 16 middlemen involved in the racket.

DIG's Raid Reveals the Extortion Scheme

DIG (Azamgarh Range) Vaibhav Krishna, who led the raid, stated that they conducted a covert operation in plain clothes at the Bharouli intersection near the Bihar-UP border in Narhi police station area. It was discovered that police officers were charging ₹500 per vehicle, with around 1,000 trucks passing through each night.

Swift Action by Yogi Government

In response to the revelations, the state government suspended the entire Corantadeeh outpost. The accused police officers were found to be extorting money from those involved in liquor, cattle smuggling, and red sand smuggling at the Bihar-UP border. CM Yogi Adityanath quickly removed the SP and ASP of Ballia from their positions and appointed IPS officer Vikrant Veer as the new SP of Ballia.

Furthermore, orders have been issued for a vigilance investigation into the assets of the CO, SHO, and outpost in-charges involved in the extortion scandal. Head constable Hardayal Singh was arrested during the raid, revealing the entire racket. Cases have been registered against the SHO of Narhi, the in-charge of Corantadeeh outpost, and seven other police officers.

Suspension of 10 Constables

Head constable Chandrajeet Yadav, Aurangzeb Khan, constables Parvind Yadav, Satish Gupta, Pankaj Yadav, Gyanchand, Dharmveer Patel, night officer SI Mangla Prasad, head constable Vishnu Yadav, constables Haridayal Singh, Deepak Mishra, Balram Singh, Udayveer, Prashant Singh, and driver Omprakash are among the ten constables who have been suspended. The residences of the involved constables have also been sealed.

An Eye-Opening Calculation by DIG

The extortion racket, led by police officers from Narhi police station, collected over ₹1.5 crore per month. With approximately 1,000 trucks crossing the UP-Bihar border every night and each driver being extorted ₹500, the nightly illegal income reached ₹5 lakh.

This scandal has sent shockwaves through the region, showcasing the extent of corruption and the swift action taken by the state government to address it.