Congress demands release of illegally detained Malayalee in Kuwait

New Delhi, May 17 (UNI) Congress leader P T Thomas today demanded a CBI inquiry into the allegation that Kerala police had trapped an innocent man from Changanasserry and illegally taken him to Kuwait and handed over to the police authorities who arrested him there in 2006 in connection with a case pending against him.

Mr Thomas, a former member of the Kerala Assembly and Idukki District Congress Committee President, presented a memorandum to Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed seeking the intervention of the government to secure the release of Titus Mayne who has been in a Kuwaiti prison for 19 months.

He told mediapersons that the Circle Inspector (CI) of Changanasserry had informed the family of Mayne that a few officials of the Indian Embassy in Kuwait had arrived in Kerala in search of Mayne, who had earlier worked in Kuwait and was involved in an economic offence.

The CI, acting on the direction of the Kottayam Superintendent of Police, had reportedly told the family that Mayne's brother who is also working in Kuwait would be in danger, if Mayne failed to meet the embassy officials.

Mr Thomas said the CI of Police and three others, who posed as Indian embassy officials, took Mayne to Kochi airport on October 13, 2006, from where all proceeded to Kuwait the same day.

In Kuwait airport when the party, including the CI, alighted from the flight, the waiting Kuwaiti police arrested Mayne. The CI, who pretended having not noticed the incident, proceeded to stay in a five star hotel in Kuwait for many days.

"The incident is nothing short of a first rate cheating by the Kerala police officials, of an Indian citizen, who was illegally trapped and detained in a foreign prison," he said.

Mr Thomas said he had visited Kuwait during May 1-8 this year and met friends and relatives of Mayne and also Indian embassy officials.

"Handing over an Indian citizen to an alien country, in violation of the existing rules and laws, is nothing but a serious criminal offence," he said, and demanded the dismissal of the police officers responsible for the 'crime.' UNI SH SB HS1529