In a significant crackdown on corruption during police recruitment, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested four individuals on Tuesday for allegedly accepting bribes from police constable candidates. The accused included Dr. Hari Narayan Prabhakar, a government doctor, his wife Shivani Prabhakar, a private medical practitioner, Mathuresh, a pharmacist, and Jaipal, a driver. They were apprehended during a joint raid by the ACB and Highway Police Station at Shivani’s private hospital in Mathura.
Dr. Prabhakar, an Emergency Medical Officer at the district hospital, was a member of the medical board responsible for evaluating the fitness of candidates during police recruitment. The accused allegedly threatened to fail police candidates during mandatory medical examinations unless they paid a bribe. The ACB’s raid resulted in the seizure of Rs1.3 lakh in cash and six mobile phones from Dr. Prabhakar’s possession.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shlok Kumar, Shivani Prabhakar attempted to destroy evidence on the seized mobile phones, but the authorities were able to recover the devices, which are now being sent for forensic examination.
The ACB received multiple complaints from candidates who alleged that the accused demanded bribes and threatened them with disqualification from the recruitment process. During the raid, the suspects were caught red-handed accepting bribe money from the candidates.
All four individuals were presented before the court and have been remanded to judicial custody. The investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of the scam and identify the total number of victims affected by this fraudulent activity.
In response to the scandal, Dr. Prabhakar has been removed from the police recruitment medical panel, and the panel has since been reconstituted to ensure greater transparency and fairness in the recruitment process.
