The Hindu : Policeman trapped to save culprits?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 25, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Policeman trapped to save culprits?

By A. Harikumar

ALAPPUZHA MARch 24. His official achievements in two years of service in local police are more than enough to ensure him a State award. But for Ali Akbar, a constable in the Kerala Police, now under suspension, neither the 27 rewards he had won in two years nor his key-role seizures of illicit spirit, seem to have brought any cheer.

According to the official version, Mr. Akbar was suspended from the service following his arrest by the Vigilance allegedly while accepting Rs. 2,000 as bribe from one of his relatives.

But the public and the prohibition activists here have a different story to tell about the constable. According to them, Mr. Akbar, who is a witness in more than 400 abkari cases, was trapped with the aim of weakening the cases and saving the culprits. Key-members of inter-State spirit trade are the accused in some of the cases in which Mr. Akbar is a witness. It is said that some of the accused have close links with top leaders of the ruling and Opposition fronts.

"The plight of Mr. Akbar, who had been instrumental in seizing around of one lakh litres of spirit illegally brought to the State and arresting several hardcore criminals, is a pointer to the criminal-police-politician nexus existing in the Kerala Police," the former MLA and RSP(B) leader, A.V. Thamarakshan, had once remarked at a press conference when Mr. Akbar was suspended.

A member of the Special Team under the IG of Police, Siby Mathew, which investigated into the Kalluvathukkal hooch tragedy and a former member of the crime squad of the Alappuzha DSP, Mr. Akbar's fight against the spirit lobby began with his deputation to a crime squad formed by the former Alappuzha SP, R. Sreelekha.

The squad succeeded in curbing the influence of spirit lobby and breaking the backbone of rackets engaged in the manufacture of fake notes and blue films in Karthigappally taluk. But its work invited the wrath of corrupt politicians and policemen who had a stake in the illegal activities.

The arrest of the vice-president of Karthigappally panchayat for possessing thousands of litres of foreign liquor brought illegally to the State invited the displeasure from powerful politicians. The local policemen who used to get monthly payments from the arrested person turned against Mr. Akbar. They were also enraged by the arrest of some corrupt police officials who had connections with a fake note racket.

The squad was later dissolved and Mr. Akbar was transferred to Kayamkulam. When a crime squad was formed there to curb the increasing crimes he was taken into it. Here also he played a key role in the arrest of illegal spirit traders. The squad arrested the brother of a former Minister with narcotics.

While working in Kayamkulam, Mr. Akbar had been instrumental in the seizure of several tanker lorries containing spirit. Some of the tankers belonged to a big liquor contractor who allegedly had links with a close relative of a former Chief Minister. Mr. Akbar had seized a tempo with 3,500 litres of spirit and registered a case. One of the accused in Kalluvathukkal hooch case, who supplied Ethanol to Manichan, was involved in the case. A car seized in connection with another spirit seizure belonged to the CPI(M) district committee. In the case filed as crime number 611-99, a leading abkari contractor was among the accused.

Following these seizures, the threat against Mr. Akbar acquired new dimensions. Later he was transferred.

He moved the Kerala High Court against arbitrary transfer and the court annulled it. Later miscreants tried to kill him by hitting his scooter with a lorry. Though he escaped his father died of shock.

Back to work, Mr. Ali seized a car with 105 litres of spirit. A State executive member of the Youth Congress from Kayamkulam was alleged to be involved in it.

A few weeks after the incident, while at a hospital at Kayamkulam, one of his relatives, Anish, approached him and tried to thrust Rs. 2,000 in his hand, said Mr. Akbar in a petition submitted before the State Human Rights Commission. His wife who was pregnant was admitted there at that time.

According to the petition, two known criminals of Kayamkulam also helped Anish. The waiting Vigilance police pounced upon Mr. Akbar and arrested him, said the petition.

Later, at a press conference, Anish had said he was pressurised for trapping Mr. Akbar. It is learnt that the Vigilance investigation in Mr. Akbar's case is still dragging.

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