Top cop held in bribery case

A senior police officer was caught red handed while accepting a gratification from a businessman to acquire empty artillery shells. The arrest was made at a Five-Star hotel in Colombo. The police officer has promised the businessman that he will get Defence Ministry approval with the help of a senior Government Minister to acquire empty shells and demanded an initial payment of Rs 7.5 million.

This officer attached to the Ministerial Security Division had taken the businessman for a ride promising that he could get Defence Ministry approval to get the empty shells released within a few hours after making an initial payment of Rs 7.5 million through the help of this Minister. The police officer during interrogation had denied that he was not involved in accepting any gratification.

Police on a tip off deployed a decoy to arrest the official while accepting the gratification. However, Police spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody yesterday denied of such an incident. CP