CHENNAI : A special sub-inspector (SSI) attached to the Selaiyur police station in Chennai has been detained by the Bangladesh army on the charge of trying to enter the country by illegally crossing the border. According to police sources, the SSI has been identified as 47-year-old John Selvaraj who was on medical leave at the time of his detention.
Police sources said they were probing Selvaraj’s possible links to cross-country gold and drug smugglers that may have led to the alleged misadventure.
Police also said the SSI has been regularly taking leaves and had been suspended in the past for unauthorised absence.
A native of Tiruchy, Selvaraj had worked as a driver with the Tiruchy police and then with the Chennai city police before he was transferred to Selaiyur.
“He was frequently absent. Other than that there wasn’t anything particularly out of place about him,” a police officer said.
Cop had taken break from 2006-09
“He was suspended once for taking multiple leaves without prior intimation but the suspension was revoked after a formal apology,” a police official said.
Sources said that Selvaraj had briefly taken a break from work from 2006- 2009 during which time he was in Singapore. After rejoining the department in 2010, he had been working in Tiruchy until 2019 and was then transferred to Chennai. Selvaraj was residing in Madipakkam while his wife resides with their daughter. Top police officials have reached out to their Bangladeshi counterparts for further details.