A woman police constable was suspended for allegedly misappropriating Rs 17.3 lakh that was collected in traffic fines, police said Wednesday. In a statement, Goa police said: “An inquiry was ordered immediately after the matter came to light. The concerned police personnel were suspended and the amount in question was deposited in the government account. As per the outcome of the inquiry, further action will be taken.” The constable, Pooja Gawas, was previously posted at North Goa’s Bicholim police station and later transferred to escort cell. A probe was initiated after certain discrepancies were noticed between traffic police records and official bank deposit receipts. After the discrepancies were flagged, an inquiry was ordered by the sub-divisional police officer in Bicholim. Meanwhile, Congress legislator Carlos Ferreira slammed the Goa government for alleged delay in suspension of the police constable. At a press conference on Wednesday, Aldona MLA Ferreira sought clarification on the sequence of events before the discrepancies were detected. “This is a serious offence. Why was no FIR registered? Why wasn’t the constable arrested? Does she have a ‘Godfather’ protecting her? The failure to register an FIR casts doubt on the seriousness of the inquiry. These people are looting in uniform…they should not just be suspended, they must be dismissed. The government must come clean. The chief minister, who is also the home minister, must disclose the sequence of events and show the files,” he said.
