Kerala Crime Branch Dy SP suspended for disciplinary violation, damaging police image

Thiruvananthapuram: An assistant SP of the crime branch in Alappuzha district has been suspended for disciplinary violations and damaging the image of the police and the Kerala government for spending hours at the house of a notorious gangster, the state home department said on Tuesday.

The officer – DySP MG Sabu of the Alappuzha Criminal Investigation Department – was suspended on the orders of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who also holds the portfolio of the Home Ministry.

Apart from Sabu, three other policemen who were with him at the gangster’s house for several hours on May 26 were also suspended by the state police chief, according to the Home Ministry’s order dated May 27.

The order released on Tuesday said the actions of Sabu, whose job is to protect the public, created the impression that he was helping a gangster.

The Interior Ministry said that Sabu’s actions at first glance represented a “serious breach of discipline” and “damaged the reputation of the police and the state government”.

The police officers’ actions also represent a weakening of the measures taken by the police against activities that pose a threat to the peace of the population.

Sabu has been suspended with immediate effect and disciplinary proceedings will be initiated, it said.

During the suspension he is entitled to a living allowance, the order said.

The move came the same week he was reportedly scheduled to retire from the police force.

According to police, Sabu and the three other policemen were allegedly attending a party at the residence of notorious gangster Thammanam Faisal in Angamaly in Ernakulam district.

The policemen were found at the gangster’s residence on May 26 in the presence of local police officials who were conducting surveillance on anti-social elements.

When DySP Sabu noticed that the local police were monitoring the gangster’s house, he allegedly rushed into a toilet and closed the door to avoid being recognized by them.

A senior officer of the Ernakulam Rural Police had stated that during their visit, officials of the Angamaly station identified the policemen who were present at the residence of the gangster, a notorious criminal accused in numerous cases.

The local police had arrived at the gangster’s residence as his activities had been on their radar for some time. PTI HMP ROH