Title - Cops booked for arresting wrong man

COIMBATORE: The city police has registered a case against two police inspectors and three sub-inspectors of police including a woman for falsely implicating a city resident in theft cases. The police officers were allegedly charged of extortion of 1.80 lakh and 62 sovereigns of gold ornaments by illegally detaining him.M Ganeshan, 47, of Ramalingam Nagar near Saibaba colony in the city was arrested in connection with a series of baggage thefts reported from Chennai-bound trains originating in Coimbatore. Coimbatore railway police inspector M Lawrence, Egmore railway police inspector Senthil Kumar, Chennai Special Branch sub-inspectors Subramaniam and Balan and Coimbatore railway police special sub-inspector (SSI) Shanthi arrested him from his residence and claimed they had tracked him using his mobile phone records on March 6. He was also remanded and sent to Coimbatore Central Prison and was recently released on bail.Ganeshan filed a petition before Judicial Magistrate court -VII stating that railway officials were searching for some other R Ganeshan, son of Ramasamy, and they wrongfully arrested him. They failed to release him even after they realized their mistake, he claimed. Railway police officials went ahead with their version and even threatened him to have the case papers signed. They also seized two ATM cards and Rs 1.80 lakh and 62 sovereigns of gold jewels from him before he was produced in court. He mentioned in the petition that he was detained illegally from March 1 to March 6, 2012. He also asked the court to make each of the officials pay Rs 25 lakh as compensation for the mental agony and physical torture inflicted upon him.

Judicial Magistrate Hemant Kumar has directed the Saibaba colony police to register an FIR against the railway police officials and conduct a detailed probe in the matter. Based on the court direction, Saibaba colony police have registered a case against the five police officers under 27 sections of Indian Penal Code on October 9.

"Based on the court's direction, we have registered a case against the five police officers under 27 sections of IPC. After the detailed investigation, Saibaba colony police inspector will submit the report before the court," said A K Viswanathan, city police commissioner.

Saibaba Colony police had summoned the complainant M Ganeshan to appear before them for an investigation. But he had gone to appear Madurai High Court in connection with a theft case on Friday. The investigation is yet to begin.

"We are waiting for police investigation report. If we are not happy about the investigation, we would approach the CBI or CBCID for conducting through inquiry," said senior advocate Gnanabharathi.