Srinagar

The J&K government has granted sanction for inquiry against 10 policemen, including an SSP and his subordinate staff, for corrupt practices in hiring vehicles for Srinagar police control room.

The sanction was accorded to the crime branch under the Prevention of Corruption Act for conducting inquiry against 10 police officials for their involvement in vehicle hiring scam.

These officials include SSP Zubair Ahmad Khan, ASP Farhat Jeelani, DySP (retired) Mushtaq Ahmad, sub-inspector Nisar Ahmad, Head Constables Abdul Rashid and Fareed Ahmad and constables Bilal Ahmad, Najamul Gani, Syed Tasweer and Tawseef Ahmad.

Police in July this year had sought sanction from the government for Crime Branch inquiry against these officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. An official said that police control room Srinagar had hired private vehicles for carrying security forces and the officials have shown more than the actual number of the vehicles those were actually hired.

Some of these vehicles had been provided fuel against proper receipt from the petrol pump, but were never used on the ground for security duty.

Prima facie the involved officialshave swindled the money causing huge loss to the state exchequer. The preliminary inquiry into the scam was going on for several months and once it was established that the fraud had been committed, police sought sanction from the government to formally conduct the inquiry against these officials, sources said. This is the second scam involving police control room Srinagar in vehicle hiring.