Case of cheating crore to avoid confiscation proceedings; assistant police commissioner suspended on complaint of jewelry owner

KOLLAM: Assistant Police Commissioner, accused of cheating Rs 2.51 crore from a jewelry owner on the promise of avoiding confiscation proceedings, has been suspended. The action is against K A Suresh Babu, Assistant Commissioner of Kozhikode North Traffic, of Koppully House in Thrissur. The suspension was based on a report submitted by Kollam City Police Commissioner Kiran Narayanan.

The Kollam East Police registered a case on February 15 in the case of cheating money from the jewelry owner. Suresh Babu's wife, V P Nusrath (Manasa) at Koppully House in Cheruvatheri Shivaji Nagar, Thrissur, and Dr Balachandra Kurup of a private hospital in Kollam are the second and third accused in the case.

The fraud came to light during an investigation conducted on a complaint filed by Abdul Salam, owner of AI Isha Gold India Company in Kollam. The incident happened in 2023. Abdul Salam had taken an overdraft loan of Rs 49.25 crore from banks in Kollam and Paripally for business purposes. However, he was unable to repay the money during the Covid period. He then approached the bank tribunal to recover the money.

As the foreclosure proceedings were underway, Abdul Salam told his friend Dr Balachandra Kurup about his problems. The doctor introduced him to Assistant Commissioner of Police Suresh Babu. They promised to reduce the liability of Rs 52 crore to Rs 25 crore. Abdul Salam's complaint states that he then took Rs 2.51 crore from the bank on the pretext of making an advance payment. The money was sent to Suresh Babu's wife's account. The complaint states that when the money was demanded back after the case could not be resolved, the accused threatened to kill him and frame him in a false case. The home department took action based on the report submitted by the district crime branch after conducting an investigation into the complaint. Suresh Babu had filed an anticipatory bail application before the high court, but it was later withdrawn.