THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch will probe whether the bullets that had gone missing from the police armoury have reached maoists or terrorists, even as one sub-inspector attached with Adoor KAP camp was arrested for replacing drilled cartridges with dummies.
Reji Balachandran, 52, who works as a Trainer SI, was arrested on Wednesday by the Crime Branch team for placing 350 dummy cartridges in place of the real ones that had gone missing from Special Armed Police camp at Peroorkada. Crime Branch ADGP Tomin J Thachankary said the arrested cop was working in Peroorkada in 2014 as Quartermaster. A quartermaster is responsible for providing uniform and other equipment to the cops and maintaining inventory records.
“During May 2014, he came to know that 350 drill cartridges had gone missing. In June, he placed same number of dummy drill cartridges in the Quarter Guard,” said Thachankary. He added that probe will continue against those who assisted Reji
Reji a scapegoat?
Meanwhile, a section of officers attached with SAP camp felt Reji was arrested to save the face of the police. Sources told TNIE that Reji might’ve prepared dummy bullets after 350 drill bullets were found missing. However, the 350 bullets were found to have been sent to Malappuram camp by mistake.