MUMBAI: Four police constables attached to the Dharavi police station were suspended on Thursday after a video capturing them allegedly accepting bribes from hawkers went viral on social media. Police said the accused constables were posted on patrolling vehicles of the Dharavi police station as beat marshals and tasked with acting against illegal roadside eateries and food stalls. However, they took money from the sellers instead.

According to senior Mumbai Police officers, the accused constables are Mahendra Pujari, Kashinath Gajare, Gangadhar Kharat, and Appasaheb Wakchoure. The viral video shows the beat marshals seated on their patrolling bikes and cars, accepting money from hawkers and illegal stall owners. Following this, the police approached the hawkers directly to identify the accused as their faces could not be recognised from the video. After questioning the accused cops, they admitted to taking money from sellers.

“We carried an inquiry and based on it, we have suspended the four of them,” said a police officer. The suspension action was carried out by Ganesh Gawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone V, and the constables have accepted their suspensions.

The Bombay High Court pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the police last year over the illegal hawkers’ menace. In July last year, Prabhakar Talpade and Vaijanath Jadhav attached to the MRA Marg Police Station, and Vinod Bapu Wagh attached to the LT Marg police, were transferred to the control room as a ‘punishment’ for failing to act against illegal hawkers.