File image of Rishiraj Singh.
Screen grab
Thiruvananthapuram: Rishiraj Singh, a former Director General of Police (DGP) in Kerala known for his integrity, has landed in an embarrassing situation after he tried to give a spectacles to a co-passenger in a train on the assumption that it was misplaced. Singh was even suspected to be a spectacle thief for sometime.
Singh was travelling in Vande Bharat express train from Thiruvananthapuram to Tirur in Malappuram earlier this month. As the train stopped at Ernakulam (Kochi), Singh noticed that a doctor who was sitting nearby left her spectacles and a book on her seat.
Assuming that the doctor was deboarding at Kochi and forgot to take the spectacles and book, the ex-IPS officer rushed towards the platform and searched for the doctor, but could not find her.
By that time the train started moving and the doors were closed. Singh's personal belongings, including mobile phone, were in the train. The doctor was in the train only as she had gone to see off her daughter who deboarded at Kochi.
Singh, who got stranded at the platform, made arrangements to hand over the book and spectacles to the railway protection force and he contacted the travelling ticket examiner of the train and requested to hand over his personal belongings to those who will come to receive him at Tirur station. He also proceeded to Tirur in the next train.
Meanwhile, the doctor got down at Thrissur and complained to RPF that her spectacles and book were stolen from the train. Since Singh was also missing, some one assumed that the ex-IPS officer stole the expensive spectacles.
However, the railway protection force informed the doctor that Singh only handed over those and the doctor also rang up him and thanked for trying to help her.
By that time some online media published news that the ex-DGP stole the spectacles of a co-passenger. Later they clarified that it was a misinformation.
The 1985 batch Kerala cadre IPS officer was known for moving around in disguise to detect crimes.