36 policemen suspended in Mumbai for taking bribes

Indian authorities have suspended 36 police personnel in Mumbai after they were allegedly caught on camera taking bribes, a top police official said Thursday. The footage, filmed by activist Kasam Khan, shows cops accepting bribes from as little as 50 Indian rupees (92 U.S. cents) to 150 Indian rupees (2.75 U.S. dollars) from builders in order to turn a blind eye to illegal constructions in suburban Kurla area. Mumbai Police Chief Satyapal Singh called it a "shameful act". "As of now, 36 policemen are suspended. It is a very shameful act. We will not tolerate such acts. Now, we are taking departmental action which will be followed by a legal action soon. Going by the video footage and visuals it seems that policemen were induced to accept money," he told the media. This is the first time that such a large number of policemen were put under suspension, and that too all belonging to the Nehru Nagar police station. The suspension of 36 cops came just days after 74 people were killed when an illegal, seven-storey building collapsed in Mumbai. It has been alleged that the builders bribed police and local civic officials to construct it.