DySP Rasheed fakes illness, suspended

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Crime Branch DySP (administration) Abdul Rasheed, who has been arrested by the CBI in connection with the attack on Mathrubhumi journalist V.B.Unnithan, was suspended from service, on Tuesday.

The order was issued by DGP Jacob Punnoose, following a direction from home minister Thiruvananchoor Radhakrishnan.

Ernakulam CJM dismisses Rasheed’s bail plea: Meanwhile, the chief judicial magistrate court in Ernakulam on Tuesday, dismissed the DySP’s bail application. Abdul Rasheed, is the eighth accused in V.B. Unnithan murder attempt case.

CJM Santhosh Kumar dismissed the bail petition and asked the CBI to admit the accused to hospital.

The CBI told the court that the accused was not co-operating with the investigation which was recorded.

However, the counsel for the accused submitted that the CBI officials had beaten up Rasheed and he was not keeping well and should, therefore, be granted bail.

The CBI counsel, however, refuted these claims. Rasheed, was later admitted to the Thrissur medical collegeHe was brought in after he complained of chest pain and was shifted to the cardiology department and subsequently underwent an ECG. However, a preliminary examination showed that he had no cardiac problems, hospital sources said.

Rasheed’s picture not fake: A picture in which DySP Rahseed was seen along with another accused in the case, ‘container’ Santhosh, which became a crucial piece of evidence, was found to be a genuine one as the result of a police investigation. Rasheed had alleged that the picture was a fabricated one.

The Thiruvananthapuram city police conducted a probe into the genuineness of the picture after Rasheed recently lodged a petition. DCP (law and order) Ramesh Babu, who conducted the preliminary probe found that the picture was not a manipulated one.

The matter was subsequently referred to the Pettah circle inspector for further probe, top police sources said.

The picture in which the DySP was seen along with Santosh and another person is said to be taken in Goa last year.

Meanwhile, the CBI arrest of Rasheed did not raise many eyebrows in the police department as he was involved in unlawful activities on earlier occasions also. An altercation had taken place between Rasheed and another officer at the police headquarters here recently while the former was serving as DySP, NRI cell.

Subsequently, he was shifted as DySP (administration) in the Crime Branch. “The political clout of Rasheed was evident as he did not face any stringent action even for such a serious offence,” said a senior police officer.

Earlier,Rasheed was also accused of spitting at a police official while serving in Kollam. He also allegedly pulled the chain of the Rajadhani Express, when it reached Kollam. This happened while he was returning from Goa last year.