Patna police on Monday nabbed two constables for their alleged role in extorting money from two new recruits to clear their medical certificates.

Ranjit Kumar (25) and Niranjan Kumar (29) were attached to the New Patna police lines under Buddha Colony police station and were caught from Gol Ghar area.

Om Prakash Diwakar and Dinesh Kumar joined as constables this year but were waiting for their medical certificates before their jobs could be confirmed. They were attached with the police lines.

"During recruitment, constables have to undergo a medical and fitness test, reports of which are vital for job confirmation. The duo approached me today with a complaint against the accused after which a trap was laid. The accused are being questioned and will be sent to jail," Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vikas Vaibhav said.

Police sources said the recruits were disturbed, as their medical reports had got delayed. Ranjit called up one of them on Monday to say they had failed. He, however, said the results could be reversed and called them to Gol Ghar area with Rs 15,000 each.

"It seems the accused were in touch with the recruits for some days, constantly bragging of connections to tweak medical certificates. The accused realised the recruits were disturbed over delay in their certificates, reasons for which are being probed. So, they took advantage of the situation. But the victims went to the SSP's office. The SSP referred them to Buddha Colony police station," an officer said. The police told them to reach Gol Ghar swooping down in time to find the accused asking for money.

"The call details record of the accused show they were in touch with the recruits. They have been primarily booked under Section 384 (extortion). The police suspect there might be more. Necessary investigations are on," the Buddha Colony police officer said.