A special cell of the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Monday filed chargesheet against controversial Inspector General of Police Tomin J Thachankery IPS in a case related to amassment of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The chargesheet was submitted before the Special Vigilance Court, Thrissur, where the case was pending, in the context of the sanction accorded for his prosecution by the Union Government. Thachankery will now have to appear before the court and take bail. He has thus become the first direct-IPS official in Kerala to undergo prosecution in a Vigilance case.
Sources in the VACB, Kochi which was probing the charge against the official said that they would take necessary steps to get the trial in the case, based on a petition filed by rights activist PD Joseph of Thrissur, expedited. As per the chargesheet, Thachankery had amassed Rs 67,70,891 outside of his known sources of income.
The Vigilance had also found that he had imported electronic equipments from abroad without the necessary permissions. A probe was still on against him on the allegation that he had evaded stamp duty in a big scale by showing under-valued price in the documents for purchase of land in Idukki district.
The VACB had approached the State Government for permission to prosecute Thachankery as early as in February, 2011 but it did not forward the application to the Union Government till February last. The Centre acted speedily on the application following criticisms from the court and permission was accorded for his prosecution recently.