Chennai: A police inspector and a constable were suspended on Sunday for accepting Rs5 lakh bribe to frame a young man in a Pocso case. Police said a matrimonial fraud suspect had engineered the complaint after the man’s sister rejected his marriage proposal.Inspector Vijayalakshmi and constable Vasantharaja, attached to the Thirumangalam All Women Police Station, were suspended after a preliminary inquiry. The conspiracy emerged when police were questioning Suresh Kanna, a Telangana native, arrested in another case related to matrimonial fraud in Neyveli.Police said Kanna had approached a Chennai woman through a matrimonial website, claiming to be 25 years old. When she grew suspicious and rejected his proposal, he allegedly arranged to implicate her younger brother, Sriram, in a criminal case.Through intermediaries, Kanna arranged for a 17-year-old girl to befriend Sriram online. They were in touch for nearly three months. On Aug 23, she then invited him to a mall in Thirumangalam. She later lodged a complaint alleging that he had sexually harassed her at the mall and attempted to assault her near the parking area.Based on her statement, Vijayalakshmi registered a case against Sriram under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. However, before police could arrest Sriram, a video purportedly showing the complainant arguing with another girl on a road while intoxicated surfaced online. Police deferred the arrest.Meanwhile, Suresh Kanna was arrested by the Neyveli police in connection with a matrimonial fraud case. During interrogation, Kanna told police that he had ‘arranged’ the complaint to take revenge on the woman. He said he paid Rs 5 lakh through intermediaries for Sriram’s arrest and complained that police had not arrested him despite the payment.Following a preliminary inquiry, inspector Vijayalakshmi and constable Vasantharaja were suspended. Senior police officers said they are examining the circumstances under which the Pocso case was registered and the alleged involvement of police personnel.
