Cops on toes as a police officer went missing

A police officer is reported missing at Kochi in Kerala, since the early hours of Thursday, allegedly following a tiff with a superior officer.

Circle inspector V S Navas, who has been serving at the Ernakulam central police station, was reported missing. The Kochi city police registered a man missing complaint on the basis of his wife's complaint and started an investigation.

Navas's wife said in the complaint that he had gone out of the house during the early hours of Thursday and did not return.

His wife said that Navas reached home by the wee hours of Thursday and soon left home.

Some of his colleagues revealed that there was a verbal duel between Navas and a higher officer of Assistant Commissioner rank regarding a previous dispute over some work-related matters.

Navas had also left his wireless set at the office before leaving for home that night.

Kochi city police commissioner Vijaya Sakhre deputed a special team headed by the deputy commissioner of police G Poonguzhali to race the circle inspector.

The police got CCTV footage of the police officer withdrawing cash from an ATM and boarding a bus. His mobile phone was switched off and hence efforts to track the phone location failed.

The superior officer reportedly scolded Navas for a delay in attending a call over wireless set during the duty time on Wednesday night. This led to a verbal duel.

There were unconfirmed reports that Navas contacted some of his colleagues and said that he was keeping away for quite some time owing to mental stress.

Kerala state police chief Loknath Behera said that the reasons for which the police officer was prompted to go missing would be also probed into.