Kerala police officer suspended over fatal hit-and-run

The Kerala police on Monday suspended the Station House Officer (SHO) of Prassala police station after he was found involved in a hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of a 59-year-old man at Kilimanoor on September 7.

The Thiruvananthapuram Rural Police Chief conducted an internal inquiry and submitted a report against SHO P Anil Kumar to the Thiruvananthapuram Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG), who in turn forwarded it to the South Zone Inspector General (IG) for disciplinary action, officials said.

The South Zone IG's office said that, based on the recommendations of DIG, Kumar was suspended from service. Kumar, who was in Bengaluru as part of an investigation, returned to Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. However, he could not be traced from Monday onwards. Sources said the investigation into the accident case has been handed over to the District Crime Branch. The investigation team will summon and formally arrest Kumar after receiving clearance from higher officials.

According to the FIR, between 4 am and 6 am on September 7, a blue Maruti Alto car hit Rajan at Irattachira near Kilimanoor. The driver fled the spot without attending to the victim, who lay injured on the roadside for over an hour before being taken to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

CCTV footage examined by Kilimanoor police showed that the vehicle belonged to Kumar, and footage from a toll plaza confirmed he was behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

After the incident, Kumar allegedly shifted his car to a workshop in Neyyattinkara, from where it was later recovered by police.

The case has been registered under sections 281 and 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 134(A) and 134(B) of the Kerala Police Act.

"The officer has not yet given an explanation regarding the incident. A report will be filed before the court arraigning him as an accused," a police official said.

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