Kerala suspended cop blames anti-narcotics action force for custodial death
The District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force team took Thamir Jifri, a 30-year-old resident of A R Nagar, and four of his accomplices into custody on the afternoon of July 31.
Published: 18th August 2023 06:56 AM | Last Updated: 18th August 2023 06:56 AM | A+A A-
Image used for representational purpose. (Express illustrations)
MALAPPURAM: With the state government handing over the Tanur custodial death case to the CBI, former SI Krishnalal R D, who was suspended in connection with the case, has come out pleading innocence and squarely placing the blame on the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF).
The DANSAF team took Thamir Jifri, a 30-year-old resident of A R Nagar, and four of his accomplices into custody on the afternoon of July 31, Krishnalal told a tv channel. However, the team informed him about the custody only late in the night.
“I was unaware that Thamir had ingested MDMA. Had I known, I would have prioritised a medical inspection for him and the others,” he said. “I didn’t take them to Tirur Hospital for medical checks immediately after taking them into custody to avoid delays in filing the FIR. We rushed Thamir to the hospital when he showed signs of extreme fatigue,” Krishnalal said.
At that time, Thamir’s accomplices told him that they were taken into custody by a police squad from Chelari in the afternoon and that the team had physically assaulted Thamir. “Thamir’s friends also said that the police squad (that had taken them into custody) would be accountable if Thamir died,” Krishnalal said.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Youth League has raised objections against Sujith Das, the head of the DANSAF squad in Malappuram, continuing in office during the investigation.
