A Kolkata Police home guard has been arrested in an investigation into an alleged bribery network that allowed goods trucks to enter Kolkata, Howrah and other cities during no-entry periods, according to police sources cited by Sangbad Pratidin.
The home guard was posted with the Ultadanga traffic unit, the report said. Investigators questioned him over how trucks and lorries were being released despite traffic restrictions. Police sources said he was arrested after allegedly failing to cooperate with the investigation.
The case concerns complaints that truck drivers could pay around Rs 2,500 to a syndicate to obtain access during no-entry hours. The alleged arrangement reportedly enabled vehicles to enter restricted areas in Kolkata, Howrah, Baruipur and other parts of southern West Bengal.
According to the report, the state police’s Anti-Corruption Branch began investigating the alleged racket after information emerged about corruption involving several crores of rupees. The investigation intensified after the arrest in Howrah of a syndicate member identified as Sanjib on Thursday.
Investigators reportedly learned during his questioning that the syndicate’s leaders had links with some government officials. Sanjib allegedly collected money from truck drivers using a special card issued through the network. Trucks displaying the card were then allegedly allowed through no-entry restrictions by personnel at several traffic guards in Kolkata, Howrah and Baruipur.
The report said that regular payments, described as monthly shares, allegedly reached police personnel through the syndicate. The Anti-Corruption Branch is now working to identify officials who may have been connected to the arrangement. Those identified could be summoned for questioning, according to the report.
An Anti-Corruption Branch official was cited as saying that the alleged corruption had continued across southern Bengal since 2014, making the investigation relevant not only to individual arrests but also to the enforcement of urban freight restrictions. No-entry rules are used to manage the timing and movement of heavy commercial vehicles on roads where truck traffic can conflict with passenger movement and local congestion.
The arrest of the home guard is part of the ongoing investigation, and the allegations have not yet been established in court. Investigators are continuing to examine how the alleged syndicate operated, which traffic units may have been involved and whether other public officials or private intermediaries participated in the network.
