Kochi: City police commissioner M. P. Dinesh on Monday ordered a probe into the alleged custodial torture of an auto-rickshaw driver by the Panangad police after removing sub-inspector Prajeesh Sasi as station house officer, handing over his charge to Elamakkara SI K. Dileep Kumar. The action follows the complaint of the victim, K. K. Nazeer, 35, of Nettoor, whose relatives also visited the commissioner on the day. He asked Thrikkakara assistant commissioner M. Binoy to investigate and file a report within a week.
Relatives said the police picked up Nazeer from his house on Friday and had beaten him brutally. He was ‘illegally’ detained in station till late in the day. Mr Nazeer complained that the SI beat him up using a cane. Police said he was taken into custody in connection with a theft at a shop in Nettoor. Earlier, the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA) chairperson K. Narayana Kurup recorded his statements after visiting him at Thripunithura Taluk Hospital, where he was admitted with injuries. Though the police claimed that he was picked up after verifying his identity using a CCTV footage of the incident, the SPCA said it showed only masked men.
