UP cop demands 5 kg potatoes as 'bribe', suspended after audio goes viral

Kannauj (UP): One may have heard the cops demanding bribes in cash to settle things but in Uttar Pradesh a cop demanded potatoes as bribe from a farmer in Kannauj district to settle a case against him.

The cop, identified as sub-inspector Ram Kripal, in-charge of Chapunna-Bahawalpur police outpost, was suspended after an audio clip purportedly containing his conversation with the farmer went viral on social media.

According to the police sources here, Ram Kripal was heard demanding five kilograms of potatoes from the farmer to settle a case against the latter. The farmer is heard expressing his inability to give five kilograms of potatoes and he offers two kilograms of potatoes.

The cop initially remained adamant on taking five kilograms of potatoes but after some haggling, he agreed to settle the matter for three kilograms of potatoes.

As the audio clip of the conversation went viral, the district police chief ordered a probe into the matter and the cop was suspended after the preliminary investigation suggested that potatoes might have been used as a ‘code’ for cash or something else.

The district police also shared a statement on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) stating that the preliminary investigation had suggested that the word ‘potato’ was used as a code for demanding the bribe to settle a case.

‘’Sub Inspector  Ram Kripal has been suspended after being found guilty prima facie....a departmental inquiry has been ordered in the matter,’’ the Kannauj district police statement said.

It was not immediately clear what the case against the farmer was for which the bribe was demanded. ‘’We are investigating the matter,’’ a senior police official in Kannauj said on Saturday.