Thiruvananthapuram: Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham has initiated disciplinary action against a constable following a complaint that the tourist police are extorting money from couples visiting the Akkulam Boat Club.

Constable Balakrishnan has been sent for "intense training" to the Police Armed Reserve camp at Maniyar in Pathanamthitta district. A college student, who complained to the Commissioner on Saturday, brought the extortion to light.

He had come to the resort along with his classmate, a girl, on Friday afternoon. A person in the blue uniform of the tourist police accused the students of behaving immorally and demanded Rs.2,000 for letting them go without a case. They protested their innocence and pleaded that they had no money with them. The uniformed man, who wore no identification badge, asked the student to come alone with the money to Akkulam on Saturday. He noted the mobile phone number of the student and warned them of dire consequences if the demand was not met.

The Commissioner conducted a secret inquiry and found the student's allegation to be true.

On Monday, the Commissioner summoned the 54 constables serving as tourist police in the city and warned them of stringent action if any further instance of misconduct was reported.

The Commissioner said the primary role of the tourist police was not crime prevention but assisting tourists. Disciplinary action would be taken against policemen who did not wear their identification badges while on duty.

The Commissioner urged the public to bring such instances to his notice by contacting his office on phone (0471-2320579) or the Crime Stopper Cell (1090). The identity of the complainant would be kept secret, he said.

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