Tomin Thachankary develops uneasiness in jail, shifted to hospital block

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former DGP Tomin Thachankary, who was sentenced to imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case, developed uneasiness in the jail. He was brought to the Poojappura Central Jail last night after being sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment. Thachankary was shifted to the hospital block of the jail following complaints of health issues. A jail doctor will examine him Friday morning and if necessary, will be shifted to a government hospital. If no serious health issue is found, he will continue treatment in the jail hospital itself.

When the court found him guilty Thursday morning, Thachankary had informed of suffering from health issues. He said that he had undergone an open-heart surgery and had experienced chest pain two days earlier. In the disproportionate assets case, Kottayam Vigilance Special Judge K V Rajaneesh sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 30.84 lakh. The court also ruled that he would have to undergo an additional two months of imprisonment if failed to pay the fine.

The 63-year-old Thachankary is the first officer of DGP rank in the state to be convicted in a corruption case. The vigilance report alleged that, while serving as IG, he amassed assets 135 percent in excess of his known income between January 1, 2003, and July 7, 2007. The case was based on a complaint filed by Bobby Kuruvila of Karivelithara, Mithrakari, Alappuzha.

Records mention that Thachankary had an income of Rs 47.64 lakh between 2003 and 2007 from his salary, agriculture and other sources. However, the prosecution argued that he possessed illegal assets worth Rs 64.70 lakh in excess of his income and that his total expenditure during the period amounted to Rs 1.02 crore. The court found Rs 30.84 lakh of this amount to be disproportionate assets.

Seven who had sold property to Thachankary had turned hostile during the trial. Former additional chief secretary T K Jose and former DGP S Ananthakrishnan had testified in court in Thachankary’s favour.