Suspended DySP’s links to goonda gangs are being investigated

KOCHI: On the instructions of the state government, state police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb has suspended MG Sabu of Alappuzha district crime branch for attending a dinner party at gangster Thammanam Faizal’s house in Puliyanam, Angamaly. Sabu, who retires from service on May 31, is being investigated for his links with gangsters in Ernakulam.

After a preliminary investigation, Ernakulam Police Commissioner Vaibhav Saxena submitted a report to DIG Putta Vimaladitya on Monday evening. After the matter came to the notice of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the state police chief was directed to suspend the officer.

Later, on Monday evening, a suspension notice was served on the officer. A departmental inquiry was also initiated against Sabu and the three other plainclothes policemen who accompanied him to Faizal’s house on Sunday evening. The CPOs were also suspended by the Alappuzha district police chief on Monday.

An order from the Home Ministry said that Sabu’s act had damaged the reputation of the police. “Sabu’s act weakens the steps taken by the police to ensure a peaceful life for the public. Prima facie, Sabu’s act violates police discipline and has tarnished the reputation of the police and the state government. Therefore, he should be suspended from service immediately,” said the deputy home minister’s order on Monday evening.

According to police sources, the department’s investigation is looking into the officer’s connection with the gangster. “We are probing Sabu’s links with gangsters. Sabu has worked with the Ernakulam Rural Police for several years. It seems that while working there, he developed a connection with Faizal and the gang. The cases investigated under his supervision during his tenure in Ernakulam are being reviewed to find out if he helped any person with a criminal past,” an official said.

Meanwhile, the three plainclothes policemen who accompanied Sabu to Faizal’s house said they did not know the gangster.

“Sabu had told them that they had visited the house of his friend, who had recently acted in a Malayalam film, while returning from a tour programme in Tamil Nadu. However, they will be suspended till the departmental inquiry is completed,” an official said.