A police sub-inspector in Bhadrak district has been suspended for allowing a civilian to investigate a case on his behalf, according to an official. Bhadrak SP Manoj Rout suspended SI Kartik Jena from the Bhadrak Rural Police Station on Friday for permitting a civilian to impersonate a police officer during an investigation. Following the order, the suspended officer was immediately relieved of his duties. The civilian, identified as Piyush Ranjan Panda from the Dhusuri area of Dhamnagar block, has also been arrested. Reports indicate that Piyush had been informally helping Jena with computer-related tasks and other duties at the police station recently.
On Thursday, rather than personally visiting Rasikabaga village in Kalei panchayat to investigate a case involving a woman, Jena allegedly instructed Piyush to conduct the inspection on his behalf. Piyush arrived at the village on his personal motorcycle and began questioning the locals about the case. When the villagers inquired about his credentials, he was unable to provide satisfactory answers, leading them to detain him and notify the Bhadrak Rural Police. Further investigation confirmed that Piyush had no official connection to the police department and had acted as a middleman under SI Jena’s direction. “This is a serious breach of duty. The accused individual has no connection with the police department,” stated Arup Abhisekh Behera, ASP of Bhadrak.