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VK Thajudheen, a native of Kerala's Kannur, spent 54 days in jail and lost his business in Qatar because the police mistook him for a chain-snatcher.
He arrived in Kerala from Qatar on June 25, 2018 on a short leave of 15 days to conduct a wedding of his daughter. Two days after the marriage, Thajudheen was taken away to the police station. "They showed a blurred photo from some CCTV footage to my wife. She said that the person looked like me. Then Sub Inspector P Biju and a few other policemen pulled me away and said they knew that I was behind a robbery. Hurling abuses at me, they asked me to admit to the crime. Later, they took me to the police station," said Thajudheen.
Police began questioning him from the next day. "They took away my shirt and trousers. They made me sit in a corner of the room in just my underwear and started threatening me. Failing to make me confess, they tried to tie my legs together to beat my feet with lathis. I told them that I was diabetic and if they hit my feet, they could rather kill me. At one point, the SI slapped me. The policemen kept pushing and pulling till someone told them that the media people had arrived. So they gave me back my clothes and presented me to the media as the chain-snatcher. While I was brought downstairs, my family was waiting for me. My 7-year-old son was so shocked to see me in that state that we had to take him for counselling later," Thajudheen said.
There was a robbery at a nearby place, Chorakkalam, where a bespectacled man on a scooter had snatched a woman’s gold chain. Tracking the 'bald man' from CCTV visuals, the police found that he took a turn at a road, which incidentally was enroute Thajudheen's house. Thajudheen looked like the chain-snatcher from the CCTV visuals and the police came to a quick conclusion that he was the accused.
To make things worse, the victim identified Thajudheen as the accused while some witnesses said that the man was a bit heavier than him. Evidence in favour of Thajudheen was that beautician gave a statement that he had come to drop his daughter around the same time. His mobile phone location was also ignored by the police earlier.
The Thalassery CJM court remanded him to judicial custody and he was sent to the sub-jail for 54 days.
After getting bail, he got some calls to express solidarity. "One was from my friend in Qatar who said that his cousin in Kannur knew a person nearby who looked similar and was a disreputable character. When I contacted his cousin, he provided me with more details like his photos, Facebook profile, etc," he said.
Thajudheen and his relatives investigated the matter. They matched a watch and a steel kada (bracelet) worn by the man in the CCTV footage to the Facebook photos of Mahe-native Sarath Valsaraj. Even the dark marks on his forehead matched.
With the help of an MLA, Thajudheen’s family filed complaints with the CM and the DGP for reinvestigation. An investigation by the Crime Branch proved that Sarath was the real accused. It was also found that he was involved in a similar chain-snatching incident at another location. Evidence such as the gold chain and his scooter were recovered. Finally, Thajudheen was freed from the accusation.
When Thajudheen went back to Qatar, his investor, who was unable to contact him when the case was ongoing, filed an absconding case against him. Thajudheen's rent-a-car business had suffered losses during his absence. He was confined at the deportation centre for 25 days before finally returning to Kerala.
SI Biju faced disciplinary action for the wrongful arrest of Thajudheen. As per the order, Biju’s salary increment has been withheld for a year with cumulative effect. Though the order was issued last year, details came out only two weeks ago based on an RTI complaint filed by Muzhappilangadu-based social activist Mayin Ali.
Thajudheen, however, told TNM that he was not satisfied with the action taken against the SI and would file a case in the High Court seeking criminal proceedings.
Source: thenewsminute.com
Written by Siddhant Sharma
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