Sambalpur: Three senior constables of Bargarh Sadar police station were on Tuesday suspended and arrested on charges of intercepting private bus and extorting money from a businessman.

The police arrested the constables, identified as Sadananda Pradhan, Saroj Seth and Bipin Bihari Batbag, and one Jayprakash Gupta of Paikmal following an FIR filed by Nandalal Prasad, the businessman of Paikmal.

Prasad, in his FIR, alleged that the constables in their PCR van intercepted the private bus, in which he was travelling from Paikmal to Sambalpur near Bhatli Chowk in Bargarh district and took away Rs 4.5 lakh from him.

He was on his way to Sambalpur to catch a Calcutta-bound train for purchasing materials for his shop. The PCR van overtook the bus and asked the driver to stop. They asked the bus conductor to identify Prasad.

Then they walked up to him and started searching his bag.

"They seized the money and took me to Sadar police station," Prasad alleged.

"The police officials then asked me to leave, saying that they would return the money later and threatened me to face dare consequences if I disclosed it to anyone," he went on to add.

"When they refused to return me the money and repeatedly threatened me, I lodged an FIR against the four persons," he said.

It is alleged that the constables are in connivance with Gupta, a known criminal of the locality.

Gupta and Prasad know each other as they belong to the same area. When Gupta came to know that Prasad was carrying the money, he informed the constables, who extorted the money from the businessman.

Bargarh sub-divisional police officer Suresh Naik said the police lodged a case in this connection. After investigation it was revealed that Gupta of Paikmal informed the constables about Prasad's journey with cash and asked them to intercept and collect money from him.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the Bargarh police superintendent Mukesh K. Bhamo said: "The police recovered the entire amount from the constables and handed it over to the victim."

Sources said the police refused to produce the arrested constables before the mediapersons.

"We have informed the director-general of police to take stringent action against the concerned police constables" he said.

"The incident has created a bad name to the police force," he added.