Beed cyber crime scandal: 2 more suspended after PSI’s Gujarat bribery trip

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Two Beed cyber police personnel were suspended following an inquiry confirming their involvement in protocol violations and unauthorised conduct on Wednesday. This comes days after police sub-inspector (PSI) Ranjit Kasale's suspension over serious misconduct and a bribery trip to Gujarat in the same cyber fraud investigation case.
PSI Kasale was part of a team investigating a cyber crime FIR registered in 2024 with the cyber police station.
During the course of the probe, Kasale, along with constable Ramdas Giri and driver Baliram Bhagyavant, allegedly took a suspect from Beed to Gujarat in a private vehicle without seeking mandatory permissions from senior officers.
What followed this breach of police procedure triggered public outrage and prompted a departmental inquiry. In a bid to extort money from third party individuals, who were apparently named by the suspect, the PSI accompanied by the two constables allegedly tried to cut a deal threatening to charge them in the investigation, while in Gujarat. A video of Kasale purportedly demanding money went viral on social media.
Preliminary findings led Beed superintendent of police (SP) Navneet Kanwat and additional SP Sachin Pandkar to conduct an inquiry and suspend Kasale. On Wednesday Kanwat ordered suspension of Giri and Bhagyavant.
Soon after suspension PSI Kasale, allegedly inebriated, released videos, levelling allegations against a senior officer currently posted in DG office.
The inquiry conducted by assistant SP Kamlesh Meena found both Giri and Bhagyavant guilty of misconduct. Bhagyavant was on official leave and not posted at the cyber police station when he jointly went to Gujarat. CCTV footage showed Giri attending an informal meeting in uniform.
Officer-in-charge of Beed cyber police station, inspector Devidas Ghat, may also face action, with his conduct under review, sources said. Those privy to the ongoing department inquiry confirmed that a report on his role has been sent to senior officers. The widening scope of the scandal has brought intense scrutiny on the Beed Cyber Police unit, with officers stressing that such violations will not be tolerated.