A leaked phone conversation between a Left Democratic Front MLA and a Superintendent of Police has brought the spotlight on the alleged criminal nexus of one of the topmost police officers in Kerala, forcing the state government to order an inquiry.
PV Anwar, an LDF independent MLA known to take down his opponents through court cases and police complaints, surreptitiously recorded the purported phone call made to him by Sujit Das, a Superintendent of Police, requesting him to withdraw a complaint against him related to illegal cutting of trees from the premises of the SP office, while he was posted in Malappuram.
During the course of the conversation Sujit Das made several startling allegations against MR Ajit Kumar, ADGP Law and Order. The revelations also raised questions on political control of police top brass in the state by P Sasi, the political secretary of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the investigation into the allegations while speaking at the state conference of the Kerala Police Association on Monday, September 2. The home department under the Chief Minister removed Sujit Das as the SP of Pathanamthitta and constituted a five-member team led by State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb to probe the allegations against MR Ajit Kumar, though he has been allowed to continue in the post.
For the past few weeks, Anwar, the MLA representing Nilambur, has been in a tussle with Malappuram district police chief S Sasidharan, even staging a sit-in protest outside the officer’s office seeking explanation for cutting of trees from the compound. On August 30, the phone conversation between Sujit Das and the MLA was leaked to the media.
A day after the voice recording was leaked, on August 31, the MLA made allegations that shook the Kerala police and government. Anwar alleged that Sujit Das and a team of police officers intercepted gold smugglers outside the Karipur airport with nefarious intent. "Ajith Kumar is linked to a gold smuggling gang and there is a team based in Dubai who acts as police informants providing ticket numbers and even passwords of passengers who act as carriers of smuggled gold. The police would intercept the gold but would only report a fraction of what is seized," Anwar alleged.
In a press conference held in Malappuram on September 1, Anwar raised another set of allegations against MR Ajith Kumar, including construction of a palatial house near Kowdiar Palace in Thiruvananthapuram where one cent of land costs more than Rs 60 lakh.
He also released another phone conversation taped by him purportedly made by an anonymous police officer. The person alleged that a group controlled by Ajith Kumar is tapping phone calls of politicians and ministers.
Anwar also alleged that Congress politicians including KC Venugopal were acquitted from the Solar Scam due to Ajith Kumar's influence, citing the statements of the anonymous caller.
Anwar also alleged that Ajith Kumar helped several individuals involved in the Solar Scam escape justice. Anwar expressed concern that this illicit nexus within the police department is tarnishing the reputation of the CPI(M) as well as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
He also alleged that the gang linked to Ajith Kumar had a hand in the murder of Ridan Basil, whose body was found with bullet wounds in April 2023. Ridan allegedly had links to gangs engaged in smuggling gold and drugs. He also alleged that the gang linked to Ajith Kumar had a hand in the murder of Ridan Basil, whose body was found with bullet wounds in April 2023.
Ridan knew several secrets about the gang and was killed for it. "After Ridan was shot dead, police arrested his close friend Shan, alleging that he was killed for an alleged affair with his wife. They also tortured Shan to admit the crime," Anwar alleged.
“MR Ajith Kumar has had people killed in connection to gold smuggling. Mami, a trader in Kozhikode, has been missing for a year; he might have had him killed. The case hasn’t progressed,” Anwar alleged.
Since 2022, S Sujit Das and his team have been taking on gangs engaged in smuggled gold. Within a year, they registered more than 100 gold smuggling cases much to the chagrin of the Customs Department.
“The smuggled gold is obviously detected during Customs scans at the airport, but they let it go. This is because when seizing smuggled gold, no manipulations can be done as there are cameras everywhere in the airport,” the MLA alleged, adding that they loot 50 to 60% of the smuggled gold. “It’s a group effort by Sujith Das and his contacts in the Customs and headed by MR Ajith Kumar,” he alleged.
Barbs against P Sasi
Anwar said the Chief Minister oversees 29 departments, and since one person cannot handle all of this alone, he has entrusted an officer to manage each section. “To take care of all this, P Sasi (the CM’s political secretary) was entrusted. What I believe is that he has failed in that responsibility.”
In the leaked conversation, Sujith Das is heard claiming that the Home Department is controlled by MR Ajith Kumar, who acts as the right hand man of P Sasi. “Since MR Ajith Kumar is so powerful and has a close relationship with political secretary P Sasi, I’m even afraid to think about him,” Sujith states.
While pleading with the MLA to withdraw the complaint, Sujit Das says MR Ajith Kumar will use it against him. “I joined the service when I was 25, so if God wills, I can retire as a DGP. If you withdraw that complaint, I will be indebted to you until I retire,” Sujith Das is heard saying.
Anwar also expressed concern for his safety, stating that his life is under threat because he is speaking out against people who have committed murders and orchestrated killings.
“For the last eight or nine months, I have been tracking MR Ajith Kumar. I’ve spent a significant amount of money to gather all this information. I even bought off some policemen who were part of their team,” the MLA said.
Following the MLA's allegations, the Opposition has demanded an inquiry and has also accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of being part of this nexus.
“There are some individuals who bring disrepute to the police force. Such people are not needed in the Kerala Police; that is the government's stance. We will remove such problematic people from the force. Over the last eight years, 108 police officers have been dismissed. There will be strict action without any compromise. The government will support honest police officers.” CM said