Telangana: Home guard, 2 others, held for accident cover-up

HYDERABAD: Three persons, including a home guard, were arrested by Rachakonda police over an alleged attempt to help an accused in a hit-and-run case escape by taking a bribe. The home guard’s role came to light after Ghatkesar police nabbed the accused lorry driver.
The police said B Shiva, a home guard in Ghatkesar police station, E Balaraju, a former home guard of Vanasthalipuram police station and his friend Dima Srinu were arrested based on the confession of lorry driver J Narasimha.
On Thursday, Narasimha, who was driving a lorry, allegedly hit a car killing its occupant. B Shiva, who was driving patrol vehicle, reached the spot. Shiva asked the lorry driver to move ahead and park his vehicle.
Meanwhile, in a coincidence, Balaraju telephoned Shiva to inform him that he along with Srinu had come to Ghatkesar police station in connection with the release of a vehicle, which had been there for a year. Shiva asked Balaraju to come to the crime scene and go to Narasimha and take his details. He did so in order to avoid the accused from seeing him in uniform and identifying him.
Balaraju and Shiva, pretending to be Ghatkesar police constables, took Narasimha’s details. They called Shiva and updated him. Shiva then told Balaraju to demand Rs 20,000 from the lorry driver, as there was no witness to the accident. The driver paid the money and escaped.
“Later, when we probed the case based on CCTV images, we identified the lorry. When we questioned the driver, we came to know that two persons, who claimed to be policemen, were bribed,” Ghatkesar inspector N Chandra Babu told TOI.