Recently, three police officers from Idukki Peruvanthanam station were suspended for taking a huge bribe from a senile citizen, who happens also to be the father-in-law of a police officer. The police officers took a bribe threatening the old man about implicating him in a rape case. However, the news didn’t evoke any kind of surprise or shock since such shenanigans have turned into daily appearances in newspapers and media, and people have become acclimatized to it.

The bribery incident in Peruvanthanam station where two grade SIs and one ASI had to accept suspension cannot be considered as an isolated incident. Police officials ride in conceitedness for having ample sections in CrPC to trap anyone whom they regard as a criminal. Police can trap any innocent person, punish and embarrass him in front of the locals and relatives, as nobody would dare to raise any questions.

The police officials took a bribe from an elderly man named Sreedharan, who had informed them about the whereabouts of an accused who was at large for a long time. The police officers tried to trap Sreedharan by threatening to implicate him in a false molestation complaint filed by the woman who lived with the accused who was absconding.

The investigation of the district police chief also found that they had taken a bribe of two thousand rupees from the complainant woman. It is now a common practice for police officials to take bribes from both the plaintiff and the accused to settle the case, so as to get out of the rigmarole concerning the case.

However, the Idukki case is different since the elder man who assisted the police in finding the culprit was threatened by a few police officers. One should have such trust in the system to believe that these officers would espouse decorum after returning to service from suspension. In all probability, these officers who are tarnishing the department will soon or later get back to their devious ways.

According to a survey conducted, it is estimated that around 1000 such police officers are in the department, who make a living by collecting bribes from complainants. In the Peruvanthanam incident, the senile man who was threatened by the police was the father-in-law of a policeman at Mundakayam station.

It is certain that if he had not paid the Rs 15,000 demanded as a bribe, he would have been in jail under trial by now. It was the investigation conducted by the superior officers that revealed the dark underbellies of a police station in Idukki. This also saved the old man from a jail term. The taint in the police department would fade only when all such officers involved in criminal deeds are served timely punishments.