"Did Not Help Accused Minor's Family": Transferred Cop In Mercedes Crash Case

Thiruvananthapuram:

Former Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar, who was recently transferred amid reports of lapses in the investigation into the death of a scooterist hit by a Mercedes-Benz allegedly driven by the minor son of an Additional District and Sessions Judge,

has maintained that his transfer was part of a routine administrative exercise.

He has categorically denied allegations that his transfer was linked to any interference in the investigation.

"I am not at all present on social media and therefore this is the only window for me to express this truth that I have not interfered or helped the family of the accused minor or his father in the case," Kumar, speaking to reporters in Ernakulam, stated.

The accident occurred on October 25 in Kochi when the Mercedes-Benz rammed a two-wheeler, killing 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan.

The victim's family has alleged a conspiracy to sabotage the case following the 17-year-old accused being granted bail from the police station, which triggered protests and raised questions over accountability. The minor was subsequently taken into custody after further charges were added but was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board.

Mahesh Kumar asserted that he had neither received a single phone call from the judge nor communicated with him or any member of his family. He also categorically denied issuing instructions to any junior police officer to extend preferential treatment to the accused.

His clarification comes against the backdrop of mounting criticism over alleged police lapses in the investigation.

Four officers attached to Cheranalloor police station were suspended, while the government subsequently transferred Mahesh Kumar and appointed senior IPS officer R Nishanthini as the new Kochi City Police Commissioner.

The transfer had triggered speculation that the government was acting against the city's top police officer over the handling of the high-profile case. Mahesh Kumar, however, has rejected any such connection.

Mahesh Kumar is a 2005-batch IPS officer with extensive experience in counterterrorism and central investigative agencies.

Originally allotted to the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, he served in the region during the early years of his career and sustained injuries in a terrorist attack while on duty. He subsequently moved to Tamil Nadu before joining the Kerala cadre.

He has also served as Kozhikode City Police Commissioner and Inspector General of Traffic and Road Safety Management.

In June 2021, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs approved his appointment as Deputy Inspector General in the National Investigation Agency, the country's premier counterterrorism investigation agency. Kerala government records subsequently listed him as an Inspector General in the NIA.

A 2005-batch IPS officer originally allotted to the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar served as Additional Superintendent of Police in the militancy-affected region and received President's Police Medal for Gallantry (PPMG), 2010, as well as the Police Medal for Gallantry (PMG), 2010. He was injured in a terrorist attack during his service there and was subsequently transferred to the Kerala cadre on compassionate grounds in 2013.

In June 2021, he was appointed Deputy Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), where he also served in its Kochi establishment. His central deputation later included service with the CISF, where he was elevated to the rank of Inspector General in 2024.

He took charge as Kochi City Police Commissioner in January 2026, bringing with him experience in policing, counterterrorism and central deputation.

His latest public statement is a categorical rejection of allegations of personal interference in the Cheranalloor investigation, even as questions remain over the handling of the case by officers under his command.