Missing Kerala cop traced to Tamil Nadu

A Circle Inspector of the Kochi city police, who went missing following an argument with his superior officer has been traced to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Kochi Central Police Station Circle Inspector V S Navas was located at Karur Railway station by personnel of the Railway Protection Force, Kochi city Police commissioner Vijay Sakhare said here Saturday.

"Our member has come back. We've got him. We are very happy. He is our family member," he told reporters here. "Our team has left for Tamil Nadu to bring him back", he said.

Sakhare said an inquiry will be carried out to find out the circumstances led to the incident. "His version is very important", the Commissioner said.

He said the working relationship between Navas and his senior officer was not perfect. Navas was reported missing since Thursday morning allegedly after an argument with his senior officer over the wireless set on Wednesday night.

His wife had alleged that Navas went missing due to the mental torture by his superior officers. He was also humiliated by them, she had claimed.

"My husband is an honest officer. He was compelled by some of his superiors to register fake cases. That had actually troubled him mentally. I believe that such a situation might have prompted him to leave home," she told reporters here on Friday. She had also petitioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking a probe into the incident.

In her petition, she mentioned the humiliation Navas allegedly suffered at the hands of one official in the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) rank. A special team headed by DCP G Poonguzhali was formed to probe the case based on a man-missing complaint filed by Navas's wife.