BANGALORE: A truck owner was allegedly picked up by Kalasipalyam police near Minerva theatre recently, mercilessly beaten up and forced to call the inspector 'Singham', a complaint lodged with the police commissioner said.

DCP (West) will investigate allegations against Kalasipalyam inspector Purushottam and his colleagues, commissioner Raghavendra H Auradkar told TOI.

In his complaint to the commissioner, A Tameem Khan, a resident of Dodda Mavalli, near Lalbagh, said Kalasipalyam police bundled him into a waiting Hoysala around 2.45 pm on June 2, near Minerva Circle. He said he had been to a poultry shop, where he found some customers quarrelling with the shop owner, Muzammil, and pacified them. As he waited for some friends, a Hoysala came by, and the policemen picked him up.

Police threatened to foist false cases against him in the station, Khan alleged. When he addressed the station inspector, Purushottam, as 'Sir', the personnel forced him to call the officer 'Singham'. He said he was assaulted by the policemen, including the inspector, which rendered him unable to move. He was asked to pay up Rs 1 lakh to be freed, without being framed in any case. He also alleged that police threatened to bump him off in an encounter.

Khan said he managed to get help from others to go to Bowring Hospital , where he was treated for two days. He said he was not able to speak after the inspector hit him on the chest, and claimed to have suffered internal bleeding.

Khan said his wife, who is eight months pregnant, developed BP when police visited their house in his absence and harassed her. He pointed out that his name did not figure in the poultry shop fracas case.

