Thiruvananthapuram: The Home Department on Sunday suspended Vadakara DySP Umesh A, accused of sexually exploiting a woman detained for immoral trafficking in 2014. The allegations against him surfaced through a 32-page suicide note left behind by Inspector Binu Thomas (52), Station House Officer of Palakkad’s Cherpulassery Police. He was found dead on November 15.

The government acted a day after State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar forwarded “a special report” against Umesh, "regarding his immoral, illegal and undisciplined activities”, according to the suspension order.

At the time of the alleged incident, Binu Thomas was the Sub-Inspector and Station House Officer of Wadakkanchery Police Station, and Umesh was the Wadakkanchery Circle Inspector.

According to the special report, on April 24, 2014, Binu Thomas led a raid that detained a woman and four men for alleged immoral trafficking. However, the special report states that Umesh accepted bribes from those detained and did not register a case.

That same night, Umesh and Binu allegedly went to the woman’s house and “threatened and sexually exploited her”, the suspension order says.

Binu’s suicide note says that it was Umesh who sexually abused the woman that night, and then two days later. However, Binu was also in a relationship with the woman. 

Palakkad District Police Chief Ajit Kumar, who recorded the woman’s statement and authored the special report, said: “A strong report was submitted to the police headquarters.”

Sources said the woman -- now living in a southern district -- confirmed to the Palakkad police chief that the incidents described in the suicide note were accurate, and that her experiences with Umesh extended beyond what the note detailed.

When Binu Thomas was found dead in the Cherpulassery police quarters, the death was initially attributed to personal reasons. Although the police recovered the 32-page suicide note and his two phones during the inquest, their contents were not disclosed.
However, with the investigation into the suicide making no headway for nearly two weeks, three pages of the suicide note were leaked to the media.

In the note, Binu acknowledged that he had also had a sexual relationship with the woman, saying it happened after gaining her confidence. 

According to sources, Umesh allegedly objected to Binu’s emotional closeness with the woman and is said to have informed Binu’s wife about the relationship.

Soon after the note became public, the police launched a preliminary disciplinary inquiry into Umesh’s activities, with the Palakkad police chief’s report marking the first step. The DySP, while under suspension, will now face an oral inquiry, after which further action will be decided, said Ajit Kumar.

When asked whether the suicide note directly blamed Umesh for Binu’s death, he declined to comment, citing the District Crime Branch’s ongoing investigation into the suicide.

No criminal case has been registered against the DySP, yet -- either for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman multiple times or for the alleged abetment of the suicide of Binu Thomas. As with all officers of the rank of DySP and above, criminal proceedings require prior sanction from the Home Department.

Senior officers said the government may grant sanction within a few days to register a case of sexual offences against Umesh, if not for abetment to suicide.