Patna: Eight police personnel, including five sub-inspectors, were suspended on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking case in the Phulwarisharif police station area. They are accused of accepting a hefty bribe from two suspects detained during a narcotics raid and letting them go without recording their names in the FIR or informing senior officers.The case dates back to Oct 26, when Phulwarisharif police conducted a raid following a tip-off about the sale and purchase of narcotic substances. During the operation, police arrested Aqib Khan alias Mohd Saqib Khan (32), a resident of Naya Tola Pathan Toli, and allegedly recovered narcotics from his possession. He was later sent to judicial custody, City SP (West) Sanket Kumar said.An FIR was registered under Sections 8(c) and 21(c) of the NDPS Act and Sections 25(1-B) and 26 of the Arms Act.According to the City SP, two other men, Mohd Aftab Alam and Mohd Ehsan, were also detained during the raid and brought to the police station. However, their names were allegedly omitted from the FIR, and senior officers were not informed about their detention. Police suspect that members of the raiding team accepted a substantial amount of money from the two men and released them on PR bonds. The alleged bribe-sharing dispute among the policemen subsequently brought the matter to the notice of senior authorities.The City SP said an inquiry, being conducted by the assistant superintendent of police, Phulwarisharif, has indicated the involvement of eight personnel, including sub-inspectors Diwakar Prasad, Narad Muni Singh, Ritesh Kumar, and Pawan Kumar; assistant sub-inspector Akash Kumar; PTC personnel Sabir Alam; and constables Anand Raj and Shubham Kumar.“The role of some local residents is also under scrutiny. A separate FIR has been lodged in connection with the alleged misconduct, and further investigation is underway. The eight personnel have been suspended, and departmental proceedings have been initiated against them. Police said the exact role of each accused and the involvement of other persons would be established during the ongoing investigation,” said the police officer.