Top Kerala cop suspended over links with fake antique dealer

Thiruvananthapuram: Amid Kerala Police facing flak from several quarters for the way it has been handling the sensational fake antique case, the state government on Wednesday suspended Inspector General of Police G. Lekshmana for his alleged close links with fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal.

Lekshmana, currently heading Traffic Department, was all set to be promoted to the rank of Additional Director General of Police in January and after this action it is unlikely that he will be promoted.

Lekshmana is the first head to roll in the case. As per reports, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday put his signature on Lekshmana's suspension note.

The name of Lekshmana and others had surfaced ever since the 54-year-old Mavunkal was arrested by the Crime Branch from his home-cum-'museum' at Kochi in September after victims approached Vijayan with their complaints that they were swindled of Rs 10 crore by this "master fraud".

Earlier, the Kerala High Court had come down heavily on the Kerala police on the progress of the probe when a case regarding Mavunkal came before it.

When the case first surfaced in September, pictures of recently retired state police chief Loknath Behera and serving Additional Director General of Police Manoj Abraham visiting the "museum" of Mavunkal at Kochi went viral.

The court asked why these top police officials never thought of how a museum like this can function as the rules are very clear and it also pointed out how the police set up a beatbox at his house and the museum.

Soon the probe went into top gear and took statements from Behera, Abraham and Lekshmana and it was based on this statement that Vijayan put his signature and the top official has now been suspended.

Mavunkal took all his high profile guests into his fold by showcasing antiques in his collection which he claimed included the "staff of Moses" and "two of the 30 silver coins that were taken by Judas to cheat Jesus Christ".

Police said that he also displayed a throne said to be used by Tipu Sultan, as well as a huge collection of old Qurans, Bibles (Old Testament and New Testament), and old handwritten copies of Bhagavad Gita.

Mavunkal used to bring several VIPs to his palatial residence, a part of which was converted into a museum to house his 'precious' antiques.