Mumbai DCP missing after being accused of extortion

Saurav Tripathi allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh per month from angadias

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ITDC NEWS R Saurav Tripathi, a deputy commissioner of Mumbai Police has gone missing. Mumbai Police are trying to track his whereabouts after he was allegedly named by three police officers arrested in the angadia extortion case.

Tripathi is a 2010 batch IPS officer and was considered a bright young police officer till his name got linked to the extortion case. In December last year, the association of angadias sent a complaint letter to then Mumbai Police commissioner Hemant Nagrale that police from LT Marg police station were routinely extorting money from them and these demands were increasing every month. Angadias are human couriers who are used in diamonds and jewelry business to carry valuables from one destination to another destination. Normally angadias operate on Mumbai to Gujarat-Rajasthan routes and travel in trains carrying valuables with them.

Following the complaint, Dilip Sawant, Additional Commissioner of South region, was asked to probe the case. During his investigation Sawant found the complaint to be true. Upon further inquiry, a special unit of Mumbai police arrested police inspectors Om Vangate, Nitin Kadam and Samadhan Jamdade. During the interrogation of these officers, DCP Tripathi's name came up and it was revealed that Tripathi allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh every month from angadias in his zone of operation, the zone 2.

After this, Mumbai Police added Tripathi's name as an accused in the case and informed the state home department as per the procedure. Cops are now on the lookout for Tripathi. A police team was sent to his residence in Mumbai and his home town near Lucknow but Tripathi was not to be found anywhere.

Tripathi's wife had written a letter to police that he was very unwell and hence going on medical leave. But no supporting documents were attached with the letter. Tripathi , who was DCP zone 2, was immediately transferred as his name was included as an accused in the case. He was given charge as DCP operations, a side posting.

Interestingly, Tripathi had served as ADC to the Maharashtra Governor. Only competent officers are chosen as ADCs to Governor.

A top IPS officer from Maharashtra told THE WEEK that Tripathi will soon be arrested and after spending 24 hours in the lockup, he will be suspended.

Efforts to reach Mumbai Commissioner of Police Sanjay Pande for his comments proved futile as he did not answer his phone.