DSP booked in gutkha scam suspended a day before retirement

An official communication from the Home Department said that the officer has been placed under suspension because of a DVAC case pending against him, a senior police officer noted. He was the highest-ranking police officer whose name figured in the DVAC FIR filed in September, 2017 after the multi-crore gutkha scam probe was given to the agency that May. Along with him, an inspector was also named.

The DVAC had left out the names of senior police officers in the FIR and included only two middle level police officers and 15 officials from other departments along with illegal traders in connection with the scam.

When the scam broke out it was alleged that former city police Commissioners had received kickbacks for allowing the illegal sale of gutkha in the State. Mannar Mannan was one of the Assistant Commissioners under whose jurisdiction the illegal gutkha godown was functioning.

The gutkha scam came to light after the Income Tax officials seized a diary, during a raid that took place at one of the illegal gutkha factory and godown in Red Hills. The diary reportedly contained details of bribes, up to Rs 20 lakh per month, given to certain police officers from 2011. The case was subsequently transferred to CBI by the Madras High Court which arrested six people, including three government officials.

A sub-inspector and four constables were suspended after a preliminary internal probe found them guilty of trying to extort money from a man allegedly involved in smuggle electronic goods. Constables Sunny Lloyd, Anandraj, Rajasekaran and Ashok Kumar were transferred to control room two days ago after allegations surfaced that they collected Rs 80,000 from one Shahul Hamid. Apart from them, sub-inspector Rajasekaran, attached to Triplicane police station, was also suspended, as he was part of the group, sources said. The action was taken after Hamid lodged a complaint at Triplicane police station that Sunny Lloyd and other policemen threatened him to give Rs 2 lakh in order to avoid being arrested.