noida

Updated: Aug 09, 2019 17:48 IST

A police officer in-charge of Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar police station was suspended on Friday after an audio clip was leaked last week. In this, the station house officer, or SHO, of Jewar police station near the national capital is allegedly heard advising the sand mafia how to resume mining operations, a police officer said.

In the audio clip, SHO SS Bhati is allegedly heard talking to a man who appears to have been running an illegal sand mining business that had been hit because the administration was enforcing the law when his trucks passed through areas under the Jewar police station.

In the clip, the man said he has been paying off the policemen nearly Rs 1 lakh in bribes to carry on his business. But the police hadn’t kept their side of the bargain. This, he said, caused him a loss of Rs 50,000 each night.

The man on the other side of the phone line, alleged to be SS Bhati, blames the stringent checks on the sub-divisional officer (SDM Sadar).

She is a “different kind” of woman who will report the matter to senior officials. So, the police officer advised the businessman, he should just bribe someone in the SDM’s office for help.

On his part, the police officer said he had a ‘driver’ on what to do with the trucks passing via his area.

SS Bhati could not be reached for his version.

This clip was leaked on August 3 and soon enough found its way to social media where it was widely circulated.

Bhati was recalled to the police lines soon after the audio tape emerged.

A probe, conducted by the district’s Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kuwar Ranvijay Singh, was also ordered and Bhati was then suspended.

“Based on conclusion of the investigation, the SHO was found guilty and he was suspended with immediate effect,” said a police spokesperson of Gautam Buddh Nagar district police.

A police officer said they were still trying to identify the businessman who was on the other side of the phone line.