Six Kerala Policemen Suspended for Leaking Info to Sand Mafia

Fast Summary

• six policemen from Kumbla police station in Kasaragod, Kerala, have been suspended for allegedly leaking operational details to the sand mafia.
• The suspension was ordered by District Police Chief Y.B. Vijay Bharat Reddy following a preliminary investigation.
• The suspended officers include senior civil police officers P.M. Abdul Salam, A.K. vinod Kumar, and Linesh; civil police officers A.M. Manu and M.K. Anoop; and police vehicle driver Krishna Prasad.
• Five of these officers were serving at Kumbla station, while one had already been transferred to another station.
• Investigations began after a tipper lorry driver, Moideen, was arrested a month ago for sand smuggling; his mobile phone revealed incriminating contacts with the accused policemen.
• It was discovered that accurate details about operations was relayed by the policemen to mafia networks via WhatsApp and phone calls.
• Kumbla Station House Officer Sreejesh reported the findings to DySP C.K. Sunil Kumar before they were sent to the District Police Chief for action.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The suspension of six policemen in Kerala over alleged collusion with the sand mafia underscores an ongoing challenge India faces in tackling corruption within law enforcement systems at local levels. The use of digital channels like WhatsApp highlights both vulnerabilities within policing processes and growing sophistication among illicit networks engaged in resource exploitation such as illegal sand mining-a pervasive issue with environmental consequences across India.

This case reflects positively on intra-departmental accountability mechanisms but also exposes systemic lapses that warrant closer scrutiny at higher levels of governance across states such as Kerala where natural resources are often targeted by organized crime groups masquerading as local operators.Read more: Published – July 31, 2025 02:58 pm IST