In a significant development highlighting internal accountability issues, the Amberpet police in Hyderabad have arrested a serving police officer on serious charges of misconduct. The arrested individual is Sub-Inspector V Bhanu Prakash Reddy, who faces allegations of misappropriating seized gold and losing his official firearm.
Arrest and Judicial Custody
The arrest, though conducted on December 28 of the previous year, was not immediately made public. Officials from the Secunderabad zone are reported to have initially kept the matter under wraps. Following his detention, Bhanu Prakash was presented before a magistrate and subsequently remanded to judicial custody at Chanchalguda jail, where he currently remains as the probe continues.
The Twin Allegations: Gold and the Missing Gun
The controversy first came to light last month. The primary allegation against the sub-inspector involves a theft case he was investigating. After apprehending the accused, he reportedly recovered four tolas of gold. Instead of depositing it as case property, he allegedly pledged the gold to secure a loan and subsequently used the funds for online betting.
The second major lapse emerged when Bhanu Prakash sought to resign from the Telangana police to take up a Group II post in his native Andhra Pradesh. During the relieving process, he was required to surrender his service weapon but failed to do so. He claimed the firearm had been misplaced. A subsequent verification confirmed the weapon was missing, prompting searches by the task force and east zone police, which have so far been unsuccessful.
Ongoing Investigation and Broader Concerns
Efforts to trace the missing service revolver are actively underway. The case has intensified concerns over police accountability and the safeguarding of seized property. The delay in making the arrest public and the reported initial attempts to suppress the information have also raised questions about transparency within the force.
The arrest of SI V Bhanu Prakash Reddy underscores a critical need for robust internal mechanisms to prevent such breaches of trust, where officers tasked with upholding the law are themselves accused of violating it.
