LDF independent legislator P.V. Anvar on Wednesday (September 4, 2024) said police plainclothes squads were “working overtime” in north Kerala to destroy evidence of gold smuggling charges and illegal tree-felling he had raised against Sujith Das, former District Police Chief (Malappuram and Pathanamthitta).
Mr. Anvar’s latest accusation against the Kerala Police comes a day after he met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the latter’s office in the Secretariat and raised serious accusations in writing against Mr. Das and his chief, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, M.R. Ajith Kumar.
Mr. Anvar’s latest charge comes close on the heels of the Kerala government constituting a special team headed by the State Police Chief to investigate the allegations of the ruling front MLA against the IPS officers.
Speaking to newspersons after meeting CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan at the latter’s apartment opposite AKG Centre in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, Mr. Anvar released a “secretly recorded video” showing a person removing packets from a gold workshop at Kondotty in Malappuram.
Mr. Anvar said the goldsmith doubled up as an appraiser for the Customs department. The goldsmith also tested the purity of the gold confiscated by the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF), a plainclothes squad, Malappuram, when Mr. Das was the District Police Chief.
Mr. Anvar had accused DANSAF of working with Customs officials in the Kozhikode and Kannur airports to ambush contraband gold carriers outside the facilities to avoid surveillance cameras and proper accounting of impounded gold.
He alleged that DANSAF and Customs took the lion’s share of the spoils from the waylaying operations, some of which reached top officials. The corrupt officials covered their tracks by accounting for only a tiny portion of the seizure. Mr. Anvar said a share of the pickings reached the highest level of the Police department.
Mr. Anvar pointed out that Mr. Das was in Customs before he entered the IPS and had “deep contacts” in the Central agency.
“If the police question the appraiser, he will reveal the racket. DANSAF is warning regular buyers of contraband gold to secret the loot. The team also tries to erase evidence in the illegal tree-felling case against the SP. Why do you think Mr. Das is on leave?” he added.
When asked why Mr. Das remained in service despite the constitution of a team to investigate the accusations against him, Mr. Anvar replied: “The government has to build a watertight case, or errant officers could procure a stay against suspension from the High Court”.
Mr. Anvar had also linked DANSAF, Malappuram, to at least one murder and several disappearances.
‘Life at risk’
He said his life was at risk and had applied for a gun licence for self-protection.
Mr. Anvar reiterated that he had apprised the Chief Minister of the situation in detail and also submitted “clues” he had collected from various sources.
