Some Delhi cops face inquiry over links with land mafia

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) At a time when sleuths of the Delhi Police are probing irregularities in the allotment of over 5,000 flats in the capital, their own officers have come under the scanner for alleged nexus with the land mafia.

According to an internal inquiry ordered by Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal in December last year, the station-in charge of two police stations in south Delhi are being probed for their alleged 'non-conforming' activities. Both the police officials had allegedly remained mute spectators to the incidents of land grabbing in their respective areas.

'In the initial report it was found that some police officers were in cahoots with land grabbers. And they may have facilitated the land-grabbing activities by working hand in glove with the land mafia, especially in south Delhi,' said a senior police officer.

'The inquiry is still underway and we might ask the vigilance department to take up the case. Officers of the rank of inspectors, sub-inspectors and beat constables may have possible links with the land syndicates,' said the officer.

Suspecting the involvement of some police personnel, many land grabbing cases were recently transferred to the Crime Branch's elite Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

Dadwal ordered an internal inquiry after a city court, while hearing a land grabbing case, noted that: 'The local police, deliberately in connivance (with the criminals), didn't seek the accused's remand.'

In November last year police arrested Jagdish Mann who is known to belong to the land grabbing syndicate, but did not seek his police custody. Instead they asked for the remand of his manager, Samunder Singh.

In an internal inquiry of all the recent land grabbing cases, the names of both the station house officers cropped up for their alleged inaction.