Four police constables posted for the security of a closed commercial consulate have been suspended after they were found absent from duty during their assigned shifts. The action came after a surprise inspection by a senior security officer revealed that none of the personnel scheduled for night and morning duty were present at the site.
According to officials, Constables Vitthal Shelke and Prasad Banker were deployed for the night shift on 16th June, while Balaji Vasave and Shubham Harchkar were assigned for the morning shift on 17th June. The location was under the charge of the armed police unit, and the four constables were responsible for safeguarding the premises.
On the morning of 17th June, around 7:45 AM, a senior security officer conducted a surprise visit to inspect the site. To his shock, no personnel were found on duty. Despite checking the surrounding areas, he found no trace of any police presence. Further, the key to the room where weapons were stored was carelessly placed aside instead of being properly handed over.
Constables Vasave and Harchkar, who were assigned for the morning shift, arrived late at around 8:15 AM. The officer recorded the incident and immediately informed the armed police control room. Following this, an urgent directive was issued, and disciplinary action was taken against all four constables.
All four policemen are part of the Armed Police Force and were serving under the jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Armed Police Force-3. Suspension orders were formally issued to each of them.
As per standard protocol, night shift officers are not allowed to leave the premises until their morning shift replacements arrive. However, both night-duty constables had already vacated the post before the morning shift officers reported late. Most concerning was the negligence in securing the weapon storage area key, which was found left unattended.
Officials stated that the commercial consulate, which was under temporary security, is currently non-operational as it is being relocated. Nonetheless, the breach in duty has been treated with seriousness and led to the suspensions for gross negligence.