Govt in damage control mode? Clean chit for Kerala Police Chief Saheb in land fraud complaint

Thiruvananthapuram: The Special Branch has given a clean chit to Kerala Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb in a fraud complaint regarding the land belonging to his wife. According to the Special Branch report, there was no misconduct by the DGP in the land transaction.

Earlier, complainant Umar Sharif had claimed that Saheb failed to return an advance payment of Rs 30 lakh for land. Umar claims to have paid the advance in three installments for the purchase of 10.8 cents of land owned by Saheb’s wife. According to Sharif, Rs 5 lakh of this amount was directly handed over to Saheb at his office, with the agreement being signed on 22 June 2023. Sharif further alleged that the agreement stated the land was free of liabilities, but he later found that the original documents were pledged as collateral for a loan of Rs 26 lakh. Due to this revelation, Sharif decided not to proceed with the purchase and requested the return of his advance payment. However, Saheb reportedly refused to return the money immediately, stating that it would be refunded once the land was sold to another party. Frustrated by Saheb’s refusal, Sharif approached the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). When no action was taken, he later took the matter to court. The court has since issued an order preventing any transactions involving the disputed parcel of land until the issue is resolved.

The Special Branch, which had a probe on the matter, has now come up with a finding that it was Sharif himself who decided not to proceed with the land purchase. Sharif backed out of the sale agreement, considering the land purchase to be a loss, and requested the return of the advance payment. However, the DGP did not comply, and the sale agreement was not registered, the report states.

The DGP had attempted to sell the land. Sharif approached him for purchase and later entered into a sale agreement for Rs 7.4 lakh. Sharif then constructed a wall on the land and attempted to sell it as property. However, realising he would not get the desired price, he decided to back out of the deal. Based on this, he asked for the return of the Rs 30 lakh he had paid in advance. The DGP did not agree to this, insisting on proceeding with the sale. This disagreement led to the dispute and subsequent complaint, according to the report.

Regarding Sharif’s allegation that the DGP concealed a liability on the land held by a bank, the Special Branch report said that the loan taken was for educational purposes, with the land deed provided as collateral security. This could be withdrawn at any time and used for the necessary documentation related to the land sale. Therefore, not mentioning the liability in the agreement was not an issue, the report noted.

The Special Branch also found that the preliminary sale agreement had not been registered. The complainant had alleged that Rs 5 lakh had been handed over directly to the DGP in advance. However, the DGP denied this claim, the report states.

Damage Control

It is learnt that there are attempts to resolve the issue by returning the advance payment. Intense discussions are underway to resolve the issue amicably. The aim is for Kerala's Director General of Police (DGP) Shaik Darvesh Saheb to settle the breach of contract complaint and clear his name. However, the involvement of the Income Tax authorities is anticipated due to the legal prohibition on accepting large cash sums, especially within a government office. Similarly, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his office are under scrutiny for their handling of the complaint. Despite Sherief's complaint on June 24, the DGP received a one-year service extension on June 27, just before his scheduled retirement on June 30. This has led to criticism and added pressure on the state government