Senior cop Binod Das suspended for graft

Bhubaneswar: The State government today placed senior police officer Binod Das under suspension on graft charges. He was arrested in a bribery case on July 3.

Das, the principal of Police Training School (PTS) in Nayagarh, was caught red-handed by vigilance sleuths while accepting Rs 75,000 from the in-charge ASI of the school.

Nayagarh vigilance DSP Haramohan Pati had said at the time that Das, a Deputy Commandant rank officer, had been demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh every month from ASI Ramakrushna Satpathy, who was in charge of the mess of the school. But when he refused to oblige him, he threatened to transfer him from the school to elsewhere.

The anti-graft agency had conducted raids on the official quarters of Das in Unit II area in Bhubaneswar.

During the raids, the sleuths had assessed his movable and immovable properties to be worth around Rs 50 lakh. His assets included a two-storey house at Palasuni valued at Rs 30 lakh, two plots near AIIMS, Bhubaneswar valued at Rs 4.59 lakh, two plots at Chendipada, Angul worth Rs 67,000, a Toyota Etios car and a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle. Also found were 25 gm of gold ornaments, household articles worth Rs 4 lakh and one locker at SBI treasury branch here. The locker and bank account details will be verified on Monday, Vigilance sources said.