3 Chandigarh Police cops suspended, district crime cell head transferred
The three Chandigarh Police constables are facing departmental inquiry for negotiating with three accused arrested for online IPL betting racket
Three constables posted with Chandigarh Police’s district crime cell were suspended on Friday for “misconduct”, while the cell’s in-charge was transferred to Police Lines for “lack of supervision”.
The suspended constables are Sandeep, Manjeet and Hansram, while the cell’s in-charge is inspector Narinder Patial.
The suspension, which is being seen as the first major action against corruption since senior superintendent of police Kanwardeep Kaur took charge in the city, came following information that the three constables were trying to negotiate with three men arrested for running online IPL betting modules.
A senior official said the three constables were trying to strike a deal to water down the case, which involved gambling transactions worth lakhs.
The SSP got information about this, leading to their suspension. Sources privy to the matter said no criminal case was registered against the constables, as there was no written complaint or allegations by the accused or any other individual.
“We have suspended three constables and initiated a departmental inquiry against them for misconduct. District crime cell in-charge inspector Narinder Patial has also been sent to Police Lines with immediate effect for lack of supervision,” the SSP said, adding, “The action was taken to send a strong message that no laxity in work will be tolerated.”
SP (City) Mridul has prepared a special report in connection with the incident. Inspector Patial refused to comment.
Brainchild of former SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal, the district crime cell was made operational in November 2021 as a specialised investigation wing for dealing with all heinous crimes.
Caught IPL betting accused from Sector 34
A team from the cell, comprising the three constables, had busted the online IPL betting racket on Thursday while the Punjab Kings vs Gujarat Titans match was underway at the IS Bindra PCA stadium in Mohali.
They had caught the kingpin Parth Goyal, 25, and his two accomplices, Nitin, 40, and Gagan, 25, all residents of Zirakpur, red-handed from the open ground near Sham Mall in Sector 34.
The team had recovered ₹6,400 in cash and five mobile phones, along with a Hyundai car, from the accused. A case under the Gambling Act was registered at the Sector-34 police station on Friday.
“Parth was running online gambling modules through WhatsApp groups, having 50-60 gamblers each. Parth used to sell IDs for anywhere between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000 to these group members, who further sublet these IDs for online betting,” shared an officer privy to investigation, adding that he was operating two modules – one only for IPL matches and other for routine betting.
