MP: Probe on after tribal family claims 4 cops stole 240 gold coins they had found in Gujarat
Alirajpur (MP), Jul 23: An FIR has been registered against four policemen for allegedly stealing 240 gold coins from a tribal family after thrashing one of the family members in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Sunday.
All four police personnel, including the Sondwa police station house officer and three constables, have been suspended, Superintendent of Police Hansraj Singh told PTI.
Queried how the tribal family got the gold coins, the SP said the complainant claimed they had stumbled upon the coins while digging in Gujarat.
A case of theft has been registered against the four personnel under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code, he said.
The FIR, however, named only one constable while three other police personnel are named as unidentified accused.
When asked about this, Singh said the suspension is based on "reasonable confirmation".
"Besides, we want the ongoing inquiry to be impartial and fair and ensure no one influences it," Singh said.
He said a complaint was lodged by one Shambhu Singh claiming that four personnel of Sondwa police station came to his house in Baijda village on July 19.
"They thrashed the complainant's wife and took away 240 gold coins buried in the house," the SP said quoting the First Information Report.
The family named only one policeman in the FIR on July 20 but they named three others, including the inspector, on July 21, the SP added.
The complainant claimed he had stumbled upon gold coins when he and his family members were working as labourers in Gujarat, he said.
"They hid the coins under the ground in their house in Alirajpur district," Singh said.
Alirajpur Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Shraddha Sonkar investigated the complaint after which the four policemen were suspended and FIR was registered.
On Sunday, former Alirajpur MLA and Madhya Pradesh BJP vice president, Nagar Singh Chauhan, and others gheraoed Sondwa police station for two hours.
He demanded the four policemen be booked on the charge of looting instead of theft and gold coins be recovered.
They threatened to call for a bandh in Sondwa if the four police personnel are not arrested by Tuesday.
The superintendent of police said arrests would be made based on evidence.
He said the complainant brought one of the gold coins to the police which weighed 7.98 gm. The British-era coin, dating back to 1922, was 90 per cent pure gold.
"They brought one of the coins to us yesterday (Saturday) saying that it was from the lot that was stolen," the SP said.
He said a team has been sent to Gujarat to investigate the ruins from where the complaint claimed to have got the gold coins while digging.
Tribal men and women from Alirajpur, Jhabua and other districts in MP often travel to Gujarat and Rajasthan to eke out a living.
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Man suspected to have contracted GBS dies in Maharashtra; cases top 100 in Pune
Pune (PTI): A man suspected to have contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) has died in Maharashtra's Solapur district, while the number of cases of the immunological nerve disorder in Pune has crossed 100, health officials said on Monday.
This is possibly the first death in Maharashtra suspected to have been caused by the GBS.
The man, native of Solapur, had come to Pune, where he is suspected to have contracted the disease.
He died in Solapur, an official said without giving more details.
"The total number of GBS cases in Pune on Sunday increased to 101, comprising 68 males and 33 females. Of these, 16 patients are on ventilator support. One suspected death has been reported in Solapur," the state health department official said.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and the Pune Municipal Corporation's health department continued surveillance in the affected Sinhgad Road areas here.
A total of 25,578 houses have been surveyed so far, including 15,761 in the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, 3,719 in Chinchwad Municipal Corporation limits, and 6,098 houses in the district's rural areas, the official said.
GBS is a rare condition that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness, with symptoms including severe weakness in the limbs, loose motions etc.
Bacterial and viral infections generally lead to GBS as they weaken the immunity of patients, according to doctors.
While GBS is prevalent in both paediatric and young-age groups, it will not lead to an epidemic or pandemic, they said, adding that most patients recover fully with treatment.
The state health department set up the Rapid Response Team to investigate the sudden rise in this infection after 24 suspected cases were found initially.
