Beedi tycoon Mohammed Nisham ran over a guard with his Hummer SUV in Kerala in January
A Kerala billionaire imprisoned for ramming his SUV into a security guard was allowed by policemen to lunch with family and friends at a hotel after a scheduled court hearing was postponed by a few hours in Thrissur on Tuesday. The cops escorting him had joined his party. Five of them have been suspended.
In court, the policemen were informed that the hearing for beedi tycoon Muhammed Nisham had been postponed and were directed to take him to the nearest police station. Instead, the cops allowed him to have lunch in a special room of a hotel, without handcuffs. Mr Nisham spent two hours in the hotel, talking to his family members, according to top police officials from Kannur.
CCTV footage of Mr Nisham's time in the hotel has been handed over to investigators looking into the suspension of the five police personnel.
In January, Mr Nisham drove his Hummer straight into a guard, who was reportedly late by a few seconds to let him through the entrance to his gated neighbourhood in Thrissur. Mr Nisham then allegedly got out of the car and used an iron rod to hit the man, who died later in hospital.
Mr Nisham's lawyers have said the murder was not pre-meditated and was an accident.
In addition to a vastly profitable tobacco business, Mr Nisham owns property businesses in the Middle East.
Two years ago, his nine-year-old son was filmed while driving their Ferrari in their neighbourhood, resulting in a police case after the video was uploaded on YouTube by Mr Nisham and his wife.