Hummer horror: DGP in dock after CD emerges of conversation between top cops

The Hummer that Mohammed Nisham used to attack the guard K Chandrabose (inset).

Government Chief Whip P C George on Friday revealed that DGP (Headquarters) M N Krishnamoorthi had exerted pressure on the Thrissur Police Commissioner on behalf of DGP (Law and Order) K S Balasubramaniam to find ways to help Hummer horror accused Muhammed Nisham.

George handed over a CD containing the conversations between Krishnamoorthi and Commissioner Jacob Job, who was later suspended, to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala. He also played the CD before the media, putting the police officers in the dock.

The CD has Krishnamoorthi talking to Job soon after Nisham was arrested. Krishnamoorthi retired from police service on February 28 and was immediately appointed as special officer for the proposed police university in Kerala. Job was transferred in the second week of February, after a probe found that he had held a meeting with Nisham.

Beedi tycoon Nisham had rammed his Hummer SUV into security guard K Chandrabose at Sobha City in Thrissur on January 29. Chandrabose succumbed after 18 days in a critical state.

As per the recorded conversation, Krishnamoorthi calls Job soon after Nisham was arrested and says he is calling at the behest of DGP K S Balasubramaniam, who is addressed as Swami in the conversation. Krishnamoorthi asks Job how Nisham could not helped. Job said due to the media and public attention, it would be difficult to help Nisham.

Job calls Krishnamoorthi after he was suspended from service. Then Krishnamoorthi is heard asking Job why things did not go as per the plan. Asked if the home minister was interested in the case, Krishnamoorthi tells Job that DGP K S Balasubramaniam was. Job repeatedly states his helplessness due to the public attention on the case.

As the conversation goes ahead, Job indicates that Balasubramaniam had a grudge towards him as he failed to settle a case pending in the court for a person named Vaitheeswaran. Job tells Krishnamoorthi that he had tried to settle the case two or three times, but the other party was not interested. Besides, he says, there was a limit to how much he could interfrere in the case as it was pending in court.

(George told the media that Vaitheeswaran, a share trader, was involved in a fraud of Rs 2.5 crore and it was for a person involved in a financial fraud that the DGP sought the intervention of his junior officer).

In the conversation, Job also explains the circumstances under which he held a meeting with Nisham. Job tells Krishnamoorthi there were allegations that the investigating officer and his team had sought money from Nisham to settle the case.

Quoting the tycoon, Job told Krishnamoorthi that a police constable had sought Rs 5 lakh from Nisham, who had settled all past criminal cases after bribing the police.

After playing the CD before the media, George said Balasubramaniam had stayed at the guest house of a textile-gold trader in Thrissur for three days after the attack on the security guard. The textile trader is a close friend of Nisham. The DGP did not even inform the Thrissur city police commissioner about his stay at the private guest house. He asked why the DGP did not use the government guest house in Thrissur for the stay.

He said since the CD was made public, it was up to the government to take action against the DGP, who is supporting a criminal involved in a murder case.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the investigation into the murder case was on the right track and there was no evidence to show the involvement of the DGP to shield Nisham. “It should be considered only as the conversation between a retired officer and a former commissioner,” said Chennithala.

Balasubramaniam denied the allegations. “I have not asked anyone to talk on behalf of me. Let those who had raised the allegations explain such things. I have not acted with any grudge towards any officer.”

Krishnamoorthi said he had not intervened to salvage any criminal or anti-social element. I have no links with Nisham. Job had called me after he was suspended, said Krishnamoorthi.

Source:: Indian Express