CHENNAI: On a day the city police took over the investigations into the murder of Infosys software professional Swathi, the State government effected a major shake-up in the department by transferring 16 inspectors on Monday.
While eight from the North Zone have been kept on vacancy reserve and posted on control room duty, two Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACP) from the same zone were shunted out. The move comes in the backdrop of a spate of daylight murders and the criticism that followed.
Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner (East), S Manoharan told Express that four special teams have been formed to investigate Swathi’s murder. The teams comprise 25 police personnel, including officers in the rank of Assistant commissioner of police under the supervision of Triplicane Deputy Commissioner Perumal.
Police said colleagues and acquaintances in Swathi’s workplace would be investigated in the coming days as investigators are still in the dark about the youth in the Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) footage, believed to be the suspect.
Meanwhile, sources said fresh CCTV footages secured by investigators showed the suspect walking for a good one km on the Choolaimedu High Road before vanishing.
“While the case has now been officially transferred, our personnel were helping our counterparts in the railway police till date,” a senior police officer, dismissing reports that there was lack of coordination between the Chennai City Police and the Railway Police in the investigations.
So far, the police have got finger prints of the suspect from the machete, believed to have been used to slay Swathi and left behind on the rail tracks.
Meanwhile, the reshuffle in the department saw seven Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank officers across the State being transferred.
In the city police setup, law and order inspectors of R K Nagar, Tondiarpet, Washermanpet, Korukkupet, Royapuram, Kasimedu, Fishing Harbour and Kodungayur all have been posted to control room and new Inspectors have been posted in their place. Washermanpet ACP K Kannan and Tiruvottiyur ACP R Alagesan have been transferred and are replaced by K Ananda Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), CIU, Prohibition offences and Thoraipakkam ACP N Kumar respectively, according to an official release.
It is to be noted that two of the Inspectors, G Kannan of Fishing Harbour and D Venkatesan of Kasimedu took charge only less than a week ago. Sources said that an overhaul of inspectors has started with the North Zone and would extend to other zones in the coming days.