Kochi Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar Denies Transfer Was Tied to Mercedes Crash Probe
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Former Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said his transfer was merely an administrative shuffle and not a political or judicial cover-up linked to the investigation into a Mercedes-Benz collision that killed scooter rider Jayabalakrishnan. He said he had no contact with the accused minor, his family, or the judge, while protests intensified over allegations of a probe being sabotaged.
Former Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar said his transfer was a routine administrative move and not connected to the investigation of a Mercedes-Benz crash that killed 55-year-old Jayabalakrishnan on Oct. 25 in Kochi. The vehicle was alleged to have been driven by the 17-year-old son of an Additional District and Sessions Judge, who was initially granted bail, fueling protests and accusations of a case-sabotage conspiracy.
"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 told reporters in Ernakulam.
Kumar also said he had not received any communication from the judge, nor had he ordered any subordinate officer to extend preferential treatment to the accused. Four officers from Cheranalloor police station were suspended after the incident, and senior IPS officer R Nishanthini was appointed as the new Kochi City Police Commissioner.
The officer, a 2005-batch IPS member with a background in counter-terrorism and service in the National Investigation Agency, took charge as Kochi City Police Commissioner in January 2026. His statement comes amid continuing public scrutiny of how the police handled the case and whether the system protected the powerful.