KOCHI: It’s a curious case of a late doctor’s desire. In 2006, Dr Koshy V John donated 10.37 cents of land in Thevara, Kochi, to the State Special Branch (SSB) — the intelligence wing of Kerala police. It was an ardent desire to contribute to society that inspired him to donate the land, but why specifically to SSB remains a mystery. Even police officials are baffled as to why the doctor was specific in his will about handing over the land to the special branch.
Nearly 19 years later, SSB’s permanent high-tech office will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday on the same plot of land. SSB is an arm of the state police that collects ground-level intelligence to ensure law and order. In Kochi, the agency had been functioning out of temporary facilities — till now.
“A native of Pathanamthitta who had worked in the United States as a doctor, Dr Koshy wanted to contribute to society. And he expressed his willingness to people close to him. Through his will he donated the land in Thevara to SSB in 2006.
After coming to know about the will, we took possession of the land. In 2013, the state government granted the SSB permission to construct a building. Work was started in 2019. Due to the pandemic, construction was delayed. Dr Koshy is now no more,” said Shahul Hameed, SP of SSB Ernakulam.
Evaluating it in terms of current land prices in Kochi, the property would be priced over Rs 2 crore. “Most of the SSB officers from that period are now retired. Some say that Dr Koshy was close friends with several officers. But we don’t know why he donated the land, specifically mentioning SSB in his will,” said an officer.
SSB’s office set for inauguration
“Some claim that he was adamant that only the SSB office should be constructed on the land,” the officer said. The current SSB officers in Kochi said they were unaware of any details regarding Dr Koshy’s family members. The new office has been constructed for around Rs 3.27 crore. The four-storeyed building will incorporate the office of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and the SSB Ernakulam Range SP office, which has jurisdiction over Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Kochi City, and Ernakulam Rural police districts.