Tirumangalam Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) K Thankavelu was suspended by the State Home Department for allegedly granting permission to issue an Indian passport to a Sri Lankan national in 2009.
The suspension came in the wake of the Central Bureau of Investigation registering a case against Thankavelu and recommending the Home Department to take action against him.
According to police sources, in 2009, when Thankavelu was an inspector attached to Dindigul South Police, the Foreigner Affairs section of the Madurai District Police had forwarded an application of a person, who had applied for a passport under tatkal scheme from Begambur in Dindigul, for address verification. The tatkal scheme allows processing of a passport application within seven days and involves payment of a higher fee.
On Thankavelu’s direction, a police head constable visited the address mentioned by the applicant and submitted his report. Following this, Thankavelu had given his consent.
Meanwhile, the Indian immigration officials apprehended a Sri Lankan citizen in possession of an Indian passport. The case was then handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the address mentioned in the passport was fake. CBI investigators then arrested one Suresh Babu, working at the Foreigner’s Affairs section of district police office at Dindigul.
On interrogating Suresh, the sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation found out that all the records with regard to the passport were destroyed in Dindigul district police office’s foreigner’s section.
Meanwhile, it was found that records of the passport were available with Dindigul South Police Station.
After perusing the documents, Central Bureau of Investigation officials found out that the consent to issue the passport was given by then inspector Thankavelu.
Subsequently, Thankavelu’s name was included in the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The CBI then sent a letter to the Tamil Nadu Home Department recommending action against Thankavelu, a source said.
Though Thankavelu did not commit any irregularity in issuing the passport, officials said that he should not have given his consent.