Caught accepting bribe on road, policeman throws money in air in Delhi, passersby flee with Rs 5,000 cash

The incident took place when Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rakesh Kumar, a Division Officer posted at Hauz Qazi in Old Delhi, was caught by a Delhi Police Vigilance team while he accepted a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a man on the busy road outside the police station.

As soon as he realised the Vigilance team was on him, Kumar threw the Rs 15,000 – 30 notes of Rs 500 denomination – into the air, causing it to scatter on the road. Soon, passersby rushed in to pick up the notes. While the Vigilance officers present there managed to collect notes worth Rs 10,000, the rest of the amount – Rs 5,000 – went missing.

Following this, Kumar was arrested and a case lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Police said on Tuesday morning, a resident of Bazar Sita Ram in Hauz Qazi approached the police with a complaint alleging that Kumar had demanded a bribe for not implicating him in a false case.

“The complainant approached the Vigilance Branch with a written complaint and informed that ASI Rakesh Kumar had called him at 12.30 pm at Hauz Qazi police station to deliver the bribe,” said an officer.

A trap was laid and around 12.30 pm, the complainant entered the police station with the bribe money.

Police said that after some time, both the complainant and Kumar came outside the police station. “The complainant gave a predetermined signal to the Vigilance team indicating that the ASI has received the bribe amount,” the officer said.

“As the Vigilance team members rushed to apprehend the accused, Kumar threw the currency notes into the air…,” the officer added.

In a statement, police said that some members of the crowd managed to pick up some notes before other Vigilance officers stepped in. While Rs 10,000 was recovered from the spot, Rs 5,000 was picked up by passersby and could not be recovered, it added.