NIA probe on Kerala cop’s terror links

NEW DELHI - The central government Wednesday ordered a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the alleged terror links of controversial Kerala police officer Tomin J. Thachenkery.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said “an enquiry must be conducted by the NIA”, on the allegations that the inspector general rank officer met men with suspected terror links during his visit to Qatar couple of months ago.

Thachenkery was suspended by the Kerala government in April after Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan was told that the officer did not take permission for his trip to the Middle East.

The union home secretary said the decision for a NIA probe was taken following a demand by the state government and a report by the Indian embassy in Qatar about the officer’s meeting with people in Doha who have terror cases pending against them in Kerala.

The union home ministry had written to the Kerala chief secretary June 24 to initiate action against Thachenkery for going on the trip without official clearance.

The letter said that Thachenkery had asked officials of the Indian embassy in Qatar about details of four people who have links with now arrested south Indian commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) T. Nasir.

Thachenkery was also suspended in July 2007 in the wake of a first information report (FIR) filed in a vigilance court, accusing him of amassing assets worth Rs.95 lakh between Jan 1, 2003 and March 31, 2005.

Thachenkery, considered close to state Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, was in the Middle East at the same time the leader and senior party members were on a Gulf tour for a fund collection drive.