THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Malayali doctor in Australia has fought a “relentless” battle against the police and proved his innocence after he was falsely accused of not paying for a bottle of rum he had bought from a liquor store in Victoria and branded a thief.
Dr Prasannan Ponganamparambile, head of rehabilitation medicine department at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Melbourne, was exonerated after he fought legally to prove that he had indeed paid for the bottle he had purchased from Dan Murphy, a store under the Pakenham police station.
The life of the Poonkunnam, Thrissur, native turned upside down in May. As he got into his car after buying the bottle of rum on May 4, his wife Dr Nisha felt it was overpriced. This prompted him to confirm its rate.
After clarification, the shop assistant put the bottle on the counter. Since Prasannan had already paid the bill, he took it and left. Nearly a fortnight later, when Prasannan was attending a family party, Nisha’s friend sent her a screenshot of a release by the Pakenham station naming him a “thief” for not paying the bill. Strangely, neither the police nor the shop owner bothered to check the CCTV footage. The release was widely shared on Facebook and evoked many racist comments.
Wronged doctor: Happy that Oz govt apologised
Shattered, Prasannan approached the Pakenham police and called Crime Stoppers of Australian Federal Police. He was taken into custody for questioning and was seated in a caged vehicle. He was quizzed and his fingerprints and photographs were taken before being allowed to leave. His lawyer, O’ Connell, told the county court that his client was never charged.
But the incident gravely affected his reputation which also caused serious hurt, distress and embarrassment. Prasannan told TNIE over phone that his conscience was clear, but the damage had been done. “It is expensive to hire a lawyer here. One of the former MPs, Edward O’ Donohue, supported me in my relentless pursuit to have my name cleared as a thief,” said Prasannan. When the police realised that the case was causing them damage, especially with the local Australian media having gone to town with the authorities’ goof-up, they approached him for an out-of-court settlement.
Prasannan, who did his MBBS at the Thrissur Medical College and MD in rehabilitation medicine at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, has agreed to the settlement.
“I’m happy the government has finally apologised. I have chosen not to go to court as it was one of the best out-of-court settlements,” added Prasannan. His wife Nisha is a general practitioner while their only daughter, Cuckoo, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Monash, Melbourne.