Fort traders gear up to fight corrupt cop

In what appears to be a glaring example of cops harassing traders for money, the Fort Merchant Welfare Association has pointed an accusing finger at a police official with the Cuffe Parade police station and filed a case against him with the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) last month, alleging extortion and blackmail.

If the version of Ashok Patel, president of the Association, is anything to go by, on November 23, PI Sonavane with the Cuffe Parade police station raided Luxor Collection, a ready- made garment shop near the World Trade Center and seized legally imported clothes and other goods worth Rs 2 lakh on charge of selling pirated brands.

According to Patel, "The policeman allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh saying that he will return the seized goods. We recorded a phone call wherein Sonavane asked us to bring Rs 1 lakh to the police station and claimed that the ACP and the DCP would also have a share in the booty.

Also, if we did not concede his demands, he said he would arrest the shopowner." Further to drive home his point, Patel added, " On December 2, the ACB had recorded another audio- tape wherein the cop parroted the same demand of Rs 1 lakh and threatened that he would arrest the shop- owner if his demands are not met. But when the ACB sleuths laid a trap, Sonavane got a wind of it in advance and refrained from meeting us.

This action has luckily painted him innocent." Patel went on to explain the modus operandi of such irresponsible cops. " In the past, many such cases had been registered by the police against my traders and the respective courts had acquitted them all. But as the hearing takes years to complete, the seized materials become obsolete or are interchanged when returned, rendering them valueless in the process. Ultimately, we traders bear the loss in crores". " On December 18, I wrote a letter to the Chief Minister and the Home Minister enclosed with documentary evidence ( the sound recordings), but to no avail as there was no reply. So in my last- ditch effort, to fight the corrupt cop, I have written letters enclosed with documentary evidence to the DCP (Zone I) and the Additional Commissioner of Police ( South Region) on December 30, but hasn't received any response yet," he added.