Kozhikode realtor missing case: Inquiry finds lapses in police probe

Kozhikode: A departmental inquiry has found serious lapses on the part of the local police in Kozhikode in the investigation into the disappearance of real estate broker Mohammed Attur, known as Mami. The internal inquiry report states that Nadakkavu Police failed to properly collect evidence after registering a missing case. The inquiry was conducted by Kozhikode City Narcotics assistant commissioner K A Bose. The crime branch (CB), which is currently investigating the case, had earlier found major lapses in the initial probe by Nadakkavu Police and had submitted a report to North Zone IG Rajpal Meena two months ago, following which the IG ordered the departmental inquiry in Sept. The inquiry was conducted against Nadakkavu inspector P K Jijish, SI Binu Mohan, senior CPO M V Sreekanth and K K Biju, who initially handled the investigation based on the complaint by Mami's wife Ramlat that he went missing in Aug 2023. Mami was last seen on Aug 21, 2023. Tower location data from his mobile phone confirmed that he had travelled from Arayidathupalam to Thalakulathur on the day he went missing. However, the initial investigation team had failed to examine the CCTV cameras functioning along this route. The family had earlier raised complaints about this negligence. The case was handed over to the crime branch 13 months after Mami went missing. CB officers then reviewed the CCTV cameras along the Arayidathupalam–Thalakulathur stretch. But by then, footage from 2023 had already been overwritten and lost from the hard disks. The report submitted to the North Zone IG clearly points out that this loss of footage resulted from the negligence of the initial investigation team. The report also details other lapses on the part of the officers. Action is expected against the officers based on the departmental inquiry findings. Inspector Jijish, who initially investigated the case, is currently posted in Kasaragod. The other officers were also transferred out of Nadakkavu Police station. It has been one year since the CB took over the inquiry.