Former DGP Tomin Thachankary sentenced to 4 years in prison in disproportionate assets case

Kottayam: Retired Director General of Police (DGP) Tomin J Thachankary was on Thursday found guilty by the Kottayam Vigilance Court in a long-standing disproportionate assets case and sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of ₹30.84 lakh.

“The court found that a police officer who is supposed to safeguard the public accumulating disproportionate assets is a grievous offence. It proves that everyone is equal before the law. It was a challenging case for the Vigilance since Thachankary was an officer of a higher rank,” Vigilance Public Prosecutor KK Sreekanth said after the sentencing. Thachankary will be sent to the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail. He is likely to appeal the verdict before the High Court within 30 days.

The case relates to the accumulation of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income between January 1, 2003 and July 7, 2007. According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Thachankary had amassed assets worth ₹64 lakh in excess of his known sources of income. The probe found that his assets were 135% higher than his known sources of income, and the prosecution alleged that he failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or proof for the additional income.The vigilance probe began when Thachankary was promoted as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG). The case also involved allegations that the state exchequer suffered losses due to evasion of stamp duty in various land transactions.

The VACB filed the chargesheet in 2013, more than a decade ago. The case was initially heard by the Thrissur Vigilance Court before being transferred to the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court and later to the Kottayam Vigilance Court. The Kerala High Court had intervened to expedite the trial.

Thachankary had challenged the proceedings before the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court, seeking a reinvestigation into the allegations. Both courts dismissed his pleas, allowing the trial to proceed.

During the trial, Thachankary also sought to be discharged from the case, arguing that the assets under scrutiny were ancestral properties inherited from his parents. The court rejected his arguments.

Thachankary was a 1987-batch IPS officer of the Kerala Police. He served as DGP of the Kerala Police and was appointed Director General of Investigation at the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, where he served from May 27, 2021, to July 31, 2023. Thachankary was granted the rank of DGP (ex-cadre) on September 1, 2020. He served in various positions, including KFC managing director, ADGP of the Crime Branch, Fire and Rescue Services chief, KSRTC managing director, ADGP of Police Headquarters, Transport Commissioner, Inspector General of the Kannur Range, DIG of the Ernakulam Crime Branch and district police chief. He retired from service on July 31, 2023.