Thiruvananthapuram: A senior police officer of Kerala has been suspended for allegedly violating procedures and secretly meeting Muhammed Nisham -- the businessman accused of ramming a security guard in Thrissur with his Hummer.
Superintendent of Police Jacob Job was posted as the Thrissur City Commissioner and he had conducted the initial investigation into the case. A departmental inquiry concluded that his meetings with Mr Nisham could have led to lapses in investigation.
The guard, 47-year-old Chandrabose, worked at Sobha city, a posh residential township at Thrissur where Mr Nisham lives.
On January 29, Mr Nisham allegedly mowed him down with his Hummer car in a fit of rage for a delay in opening the gate.
Eyewitnesses said he had run the car into the guard to pin him against a wall, then emerged from the car and beat his victim repeatedly with an iron rod till others intervened.
The guard succumbed to injuries on February 16.
Mr Nisham, owner of King Beedi Co, was allegedly in an inebriated state when he assaulted the man.
Later, there were reports that there had been some "soft pedaling" of pending criminal cases against Mr Nisham. He faced 10 police cases, most of which were reportedly settled out of court. The state DGP, however, has denied the charge.
In 2013, Mr Nisham ran into trouble with the police for allowing his nine-year-old son to drive his Ferrari in their neighbourhood. The video was uploaded on YouTube, and created a huge controversy. He is also accused of allegedly locking up a woman constable in his car.