Kochi: The Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), who was accused of taking flight tickets from the Delhi-based parents of a missing girl for his official trip to New Delhi, was transferred from his posting at the Ernakulam North police station to the Armed Reserve Camp.

The transfer was effected after an inquiry made by the Kochi City Police Commissioner found merit in the allegation.

Vinod Krishna was also accused of implicating the brothers of the girl in the criminal case when the parents did not give him Rs 5 lakh as bribe.

The ASI and the investigating team, after realising that the missing girl was in Delhi, procured flight tickets from the parents for their Delhi visit.

City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju said that the ASI had violated all the existing norms applicable for the police force with regard to official travel for inquiry purposes. He also said that it was a lapse on the part of the North Police Station authorities.

Inquiry on
Meanwhile, the inquiry against the ASI regarding the other allegation is progressing. After the girls' parents refused to pay Rs 5 lakh bribe, he implicated their sons in criminal cases.

However, there are reports that the preliminary inquiry conducted by the police found that some of the allegations made by the parents against ASI were not true. The police pointed out that a case was filed against their sons on the basis of the statement given by the girl.

The girl is now in the Children's Home and her mother was allowed to visit her the other day. The parents had earlier complained that they were not allowed to meet her in person and they met her only once, that too through a video call.

HC intervenes
When the issue snowballed into a controversy, the High Court took a case suo moto and asked the City Police Commissioner to probe the matter. The court will hear the case on October 25.

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights also registered a case into the allegation that the girl was harassed after she had left home.

The High Court had instructed the City Police Commissioner, the Ernakulam Child Welfare Officer and the Ernakulam North Police Station House Officer to file a report in the case by November 3.