5 cops acquitted after 37 yrs in an illegal levy case in Bihar's Bhagalpur

Patna, Aug 4 (IANS) A special vigilance court in Bihar's Bhagalpur has acquitted five police personnel in connection with a case of illegal levy of two rupees after 37 years.

The alleged police personnel are identified as Ramratan Sharma, Kailash Sharma, Gyani Shankar, Yugeshwar Mahto and Ram Balak Rai. 

The court acquitted all the alleged police officers citing a lack of evidence. 

The alleged police personnel were deployed at the Lakho police post in Begusarai district. They have made a checkpost and were allegedly taking illegal levy from truck drivers to the tune of Rs 2 from every truck. 

When the former Superintendent of Police Arvind Verma learnt about the illegal levy at the checkpost, he visited there on June 10, 1986, and gave a Rs 2 note to a truck driver. 

The Rs 2 note has a signature of SP Verma which the driver had given to the police personnel at the checkpost. 

The money was received by Ramratan Verma. 

After giving the levy, the driver informed SP Verma who immediately raided there. 

The police team of Verma searched the pockets of every police personnel and found Rs 8, including that signed Rs 2 note from the pocket of Raratan Verma. 

Besides him, a total of Rs 354.50 recovered from all five police personnel. 

An FIR was registered against them and they were taken into custody. 

The alleged police personnel soon got bail and resumed their duties.