Not all crimes get a closure through evidence and conviction. Some cases, though not cracked, stay with police officers because of the circumstances and people involved in them.
Several years ago, after being transferred from Malappuram, a police officer joined on duty in Chengannur. Initially assigned station security charge, he later took on driving duties for the station’s Mahindra jeep, bearing registration number KL 01 AG 138.
Colleagues fondly called it “138”, and the officer developed an unusual attachment to it, often washing it himself and spending long hours behind its wheel.
His neat handwriting eventually earned him a place in the circle inspector’s office, where he assisted the station writer in maintaining FIRs and crime records. Routine work replaced field duties.
One afternoon, however, while driving ‘Jeep 138’ to a nearby restaurant to collect a food parcel, the officer made a “split-second mistake”. He turned right into the eatery’s entrance without using the indicator.
A motorcycle approaching from behind rammed into the rear bumper of the police jeep. The pillion rider, a young woman, was thrown onto the road.
Realising the accident was the result of his own lapse, the officer immediately rushed the injured woman to Pushpagiri Hospital in Tiruvalla in the same police jeep.
“During the journey, we spoke. She worked as a beautician, and appeared to be barely out of her teens,” recalls Sub-Inspector Thulasidas, who is currently serving in Pathanamthitta district.
“A case was registered against me. It helped her claim compensation. After paying the prescribed fine, the incident faded into memory, and we never met again.”
Nearly five years later, Thulasidas was still attached to the circle inspector’s office. “One day, the station writer received an unofficial complaint involving a missing gemstone-studded gold ring,” he recalls.
“An excise officer, who was nearing retirement age, had allegedly lost the ring after visiting a house that served as a brothel. He didn’t want to expose himself, so sent an intermediary to pursue the matter.”
His note alleged that a woman at the ‘private house’ had stolen the ring. “We instructed the woman to report to the station on a Sunday when the office would be relatively quiet,” says Thulasidas.
“The first thing I noticed was that she was about five months pregnant. And as we began speaking, recognition dawned on both of us — she was the same young beautician who had been injured in the jeep accident years earlier.”
Her life had changed dramatically. “Her husband worked as a bus cleaner, and the family’s financial condition had deteriorated,” recalls the officer.
“Left with few options, she admitted that she had visited the house mentioned in the complaint in exchange for money. But she firmly denied stealing the ring. There was neither hesitation nor inconsistency in her answers. There was no evidence against her beyond suspicion.”
Convinced that the allegation could not be substantiated, Thulasidas informed the station writer that there was no basis to proceed against her.
“When the excise officer insisted that she was the culprit, I pointed out that suspicion alone could not establish guilt. I told him that senior police officers would have to be informed if an investigation had to be initiated.”
The informal inquiry ended there. “The excise officer got the message and backed off, fearing for his reputation,” says Thulasidas.
“I advised the pregnant woman to leave the grim phase of her life behind, and ensure a better future for her unborn child. She quietly walked out of the police station.”
Thulasidas never saw her again. The missing ring was never recovered. “I still don’t know if she had actually taken it. Since there was no formal complaint or probe, that question remains unanswered. Let it remain that way,” he smiles. “Policing, after all, is not always about solving cases.”
