Banka: Superintendent of police Chandan Kushwaha has suspended two station house officers (SHOs) along with a driver in the police department and the reader-rank official for alleged collusion with sand mafia.

Kushwaha has also showcaused Banka sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) A.K. Das, seeking an immediate reply about how the cops were involved in the sand racket under his nose.

The SP suspended Parikshit Paswan, the SHO of Bounsi police station and Prabesh Bharati, the SHO of Barahat police station, along with the SDPO's driver, Panchanand Darwe, and reader of the confidential section of the SDPO's office, Promod Kumar, for their alleged nexus with sand mafia and helping pass overloaded vehicles carrying illegally excavated sand.

Kushwaha has initiated the process for departmental proceedings against the erring cops. He also wrote a letter to the commandant of homeguards, has recommended termination of services of the driver, Darwe.

"Earlier, we had received complaints of that huge quantity of illegally excavated sand from the areas with active police patronage. I assigned Banka SDO Manoj Kumar and DSP (headquarters) Sanjay Kumar to conduct a probe. We are surprised to find the ground reality in which the police were directly involved in the illegal sand racket," he told reporters.

Sources from the district police headquarters said the SDPO's office is also under the scanner of the SP, as the two suspended cops, the driver and the reader, were found involved directly in the racket.

"The name of Banka has been emerging as most frequent for illegal sand-lifting and the state police headquarters has been taking appropriate action to counter such rackets," said a police source, while adding that Kushwaha had taken action against his men involved in this racket for the first time.

The source said the SP had formed police teams to probe the matter.