Cop Steals Mobile Phone From Homeless Man Sleeping On Footpath [Video]

A cop has been caught stealing a mobile phone from a homeless man who was sleeping on a footpath in India.

The deplorable act, which took place in the city of Kanpur in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Saturday, was captured on CCTV. The cop, identified as Pragesh Singh, was later suspended by authorities.

The incident occurred when the constable was foot-patrolling at night along with another official (home guard), identified as Laik Singh, Firstpost reported.

In the CCTV footage, the two uniformed men can be seen walking adjacent to the footpath. Moments later, Pragesh goes near a man sleeping on the footpath outside a shop and then starts searching his pockets and the area surrounding him. He then walks away silently with the homeless man's phone in his hand. The home guard also appears to accompany the cop in the robbery.

As the video went viral on various social media platforms, several users criticized the state police officials for their negligence.

In the aftermath of the incident, the police authorities suspended Pragesh from duty with immediate effect and launched a detailed investigation into him.

The victim, Nitin Singh, filed a complaint of mobile theft against the two officials, after which his phone was returned to him.

"Constable Pragesh Singh who along with a Home Guard was on picket duty stole the mobile of Nitin. The entire act was caught by a CCTV installed nearby," police sources told United News.

A departmental inquiry was also launched against Laik.

"Taking serious cognizance of the viral video, Superintendent of Police (Outer) suspended the policeman with immediate effect and constituted a team to probe the matter," authorities said, as per the outlet. "Further legal action is being taken," senior police officer Tej Pratap Singh added.

In an unrelated incident, a New York Police Department officer was caught on camera punching a woman to the ground last month. The woman, identified as Tamani Crum, 19, reportedly entered the scene and tried to interfere as police officers tried to arrest Elvin James, 22, in connection with a case of attempted murder. Crum talked to James, who was found with a firearm and a controlled substance during the arrest, before eventually being pushed back by an officer. She then hit the officer, and in response, the said cop punched her in the face, causing her to hit the ground. Police later put Crum in handcuffs and escorted her away.