Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Prisons Deputy Inspector General (DIG) M K Vinod Kumar has been suspended following serious allegations of corruption, including accepting bribes from inmates in return for granting parole and facilitating illegal activities inside prisons.

Vinod Kumar, who is posted at the prisons headquarters and is due to retire next year, came under the scanner after the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against him on December 17. Vigilance officials alleged that he received kickbacks from prisoners to illegally grant parole and provide special facilities inside jail.

According to the vigilance probe, Vinod Kumar accepted money from criminals to enable smuggling of drugs and alcohol into prison and to extend other unauthorised comforts. Investigators also found that he allegedly took bribes to extend favours to accused persons in the TP case, including notorious criminal Kodi Suni, and helped in destroying evidence related to Suni’s quotation activities.

Financial scrutiny revealed that around Rs 35 lakh was deposited in Vinod Kumar’s bank account within a single month, despite there being no corresponding salary income. In addition, Rs 40.8 lakh was found to have been deposited in his wife’s account during the same period, vigilance officials said.

The agency further stated that Vinod Kumar received large sums from accused persons in the TP case, with money allegedly routed through the bank account of an associate who regularly visited Kodi Suni in jail. Another accused, Annan Sijith, is said to have contacted Vinod Kumar from prison, and after being released on parole, transferred money via Google Pay.

Vigilance has also alleged that the DIG accepted bribes from a remand prisoner linked to a quotation gang in Kochi, as well as from another inmate serving a sentence in a drug-related case. Officials said the pattern of deposits pointed to systematic corruption and abuse of authority.

Based on the vigilance findings and the gravity of the allegations, the state government ordered Vinod Kumar’s suspension pending further investigation.

Investigations into the case are ongoing.