A senior IPS officer was suspended by the Karnataka government on Saturday after a report by the CID wing of state police accused him of having links with the alleged operator of an illegal lottery business. The CID report has accused Inspector General of Police (IGP) Alok Kumar, who is an additional commissioner in Bangalore, of trying to prevent the arrest of one Pari Rajan, who is allegedly a key player in an illegal lottery racket. Alok Kumar had on Friday told mediapersons that Rajan was a “well-wisher” he had first met through a senior officer. He had said that he had no clue that Rajan was an alleged kingpin in the illegal lottery business. [related-post] Kumar had also said that his ties with Rajan were always in the open and added that he was ready for any probe regarding his links to the racket. The CID in its report to the state government on Friday has said that 32 Karnataka police officials, including six former and present IPS officers, were in touch with Rajan who was arrested after a television sting “exposed” him as an illegal lottery operator. The government is believed to suspended Alok Kumar because the CID report said that a few days ago, he called up a sub-inspector and asked him not to arrest Rajan. The sub-inspector has reportedly given a written statement to the CID, alleging that Kumar had called him when he was in Kolar district’s Bangarpet to arrest Rajan. Kumar is the second officer who has been suspended since links between police officers and the illegal lottery racket were exposed. Two weeks ago, SP Dharnesh had been suspended after Rajan revealed his close ties with him.
