Thane (Maharashtra), Nov 30 (IANS) Maharashtra Police Wednesday suspended six policemen who were found sleeping on duty when dacoits struck in two places in this district last week.
Thane Police Commissioner K.P. Raghuvanshi, announcing the suspensions, termed their inaction as ‘a clear case of complacency’.
The two incidents of dacoity took place last Saturday in Khoni village and in Thakurli town.
In the first incident, a villager Kishore Patil and his wife were seriously injured during an attack by bandits, while in the second instance, former legislator Harishchandra Patil and his sons battled armed dacoits who attacked several homes in the town.
When the irate people tried calling up the local Ram Nagar police station, they discovered the telephone lines were cut due to non-payment of bills.
The helpless people then marched to the Manpada police station, they were shocked to find the cops sleeping on duty. They clicked pictures and sent them to the top brass.
Reacting to the incident Tuesday, a grim state Home Minister R.R. Patil warned that ‘strict action’ would be initiated against the errant cops to serve as an example to others.
