Representative imageThiruvananthapuram: A Karimanimala (black stone studded gold chain) seized by vigilance wing during a raid has put the government in an awkward situation. The Police Complaints Authority caught the vigilance red handed and asked the government to pay back the money of the gold chain to the owner immediately.
Three years ago, the vigilance sleuths raided the house of an engineer of Public Works Department in a disproportionate assets case and seized nearly 179 gram gold and money. But one of the gold ornaments, a traditional Karimanimala, seized from the house 'mysteriously' vanished. Now, the Police Complaints Authority has pulled up the government over the incident and ordered it to pay a compensation of Rs.1.25 lakhs.
Following the embarrassing order of the authority, the additional chief secretary (home and vigilance) sought a detailed report in the incident from the director of vigilance.
Justice K. Narayana Kurup, former chairman of Police Complaint Authority issued the order just three days before his retirement. The vigilance raided the house of K. Mohanan, assistant engineer at Pappinissery Panchayat in Kannur on 16 January 2014 following a complaint of disproportionate assets against the engineer. The vigilance had registered a case against the engineer. The search was conducted by a team led by C.T. Tomin, DYSP of Vigilance Special Cell, Kozhikode. The 18-member vigilance team seized gold ornaments and wads of cash. Now, the complaint is that the vigilance officials lifted four sovereigns worth Karimanimala during the raid. It was recorded in the mahasar that 178.5 gram gold and Rs.36, 490 were seized in the search.
In a complaint to the Police Complaints Authority, the wife of the engineer alleged that she had handed over the Karimanimala weighing about four sovereigns of gold to the officials, but it was neither recorded in the search list nor ever returned. The investigating officer, however, vouchsafed that all the gold seized had been returned to the owner.
Following this, the authority recorded the statements of two gazetted officers and a goldsmith who were present during the raid. They all invariably testified against the vigilance and said that the team seized gold ornaments, including the Karimanimala, in the raid. But they said they were unaware of what happened to it thereafter.
