Mami missing case: IG on election duty in Haryana, SP reduced to just team member

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government, which had hastily handed over the missing case of Muhammad Attur (Mami), a real estate businessman from Kozhikode, to the Crime Branch to prevent the CBI investigation, has assigned IG P Prakash, who was appointed by the Election Commission for election duty in Haryana, to oversee the case. IG Prakash, who takes charge in Ambala today, will return only by the middle of next month.

Kozhikode DySP is in charge of the investigation. SP V Vikraman, who arrived from NIA, was not given charge and was only made a part of the team. There are concerns that the investigation may become a farce since the IG, who has to oversee the investigation, is busy with election duty. Given the gravity of the case, which involves allegations against high-ranking officials like ADGP MR Ajith Kumar, the investigation must be conducted with utmost importance and urgency by covering multiple states if necessary.

Mami went missing on August 21 last year, during a real estate deal worth 300 crores. He had told his family that he would receive a commission of 20 crores and that the registration process was in its final stages. The registration took place after Mami went missing. Mami, who left his office near Arayidathupalam at 6 pm to go to the mosque, has not returned yet.

It is suspected that Mami was kidnapped by real estate dealers. Mami had dealings in Karnataka and Dubai. He had visited Dubai two weeks before his disappearance and conducted business. He was acting as an intermediary in a project on the Kozhikode bypass. The investigation should also look into the crores of rupees worth of transactions he conducted across various states.

SP's recommendation rejected
The case was handed over to the Crime Branch, rejecting the recommendation of Malappuram SP S Sasidharan to transfer the investigation to the CBI. The High Court will consider the plea for a CBI investigation on October 1.