Tamil Nadu ADGP suspended after arrest in minor kidnapping case

Chennai: A day after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in the abduction of a minor boy, Additional Director General of Police H M Jayaram was on Tuesday placed under suspension by the Tamil Nadu government.

Jayaram, who was grilled at the Tiruttani police station for about 16 hours beginning Monday evening, was brought to Thiruvalangadu police station on Tuesday afternoon for further questioning along with K V Kuppam MLA Jagan Moorthy.

Jayaram is accused of abetting a gang by providing his official car to abduct the teen boy to separate a couple who married against the wishes of the girl’s parents.

The decision to place him under suspension was taken by Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar after a recommendation in this regard from Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal.

Jayaram was arrested on Monday evening based on an order from the Madras High Court. Justice P Velmurugan also asked Jagan Moorthy to appear before the investigating officer and cooperate with the probe.

The judge ordered the arrest of Jayaram while commenting that a privilege given to a public representative cannot be extended to a public servant (a police officer in this case).

All public servants should know the consequence of aiding a crime, the judge said, and noted that two of the arrested accused have confessed to the involvement of the ADGP in the abduction of a 17-year-old boy.

The case relates to the kidnapping of a minor near Thiruvalangadu in Tiruvallur district on May 10, days after his elder brother married a woman against the wishes of her family. The girl’s family had approached the MLA for help in the matter.