Kerala govt suspends prison DIG after VACB books him in bribery case

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 23 (PTI) The Kerala government on Tuesday suspended DIG Prisons, M K Vinod Kumar, after the VACB registered a case against him for allegedly accepting bribes from prisoners to grant parole and other facilities.

According to the government order, the VACB conducted a preliminary probe into allegations that Kumar misused his official position to accept bribes, following which a case was registered against him.

The order said the Vigilance Director informed the government that Kumar was holding a key post in the Prison and Correctional Services Department and that his continuation in service could adversely affect the investigation.

Based on this recommendation, the government ordered his suspension pending completion of the probe.

“Considering the recommendation, Deputy Inspector General of Prisons M K Vinod Kumar is hereby suspended from service,” the order said.

According to the FIR registered by the VACB Special Investigation Unit-I, Kumar allegedly received Rs 1.80 lakh between March 1, 2024 and November 15, 2025, from prisoners and their relatives for arranging parole and other facilities inside jails.

The FIR further alleged that Kumar was in contact with associates of criminals and prisoners and accepted bribes through Google Pay transactions to bank accounts of his relatives, including his wife.

Based on these payments, paroles were allegedly granted to prisoners lodged in the central prisons at Thiruvananthapuram, Viyyur and Kannur, the High Security Prison at Viyyur, and other jails, the FIR said.

The VACB officials also said a special cell has initiated a preliminary probe to register a separate case against Kumar for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. PTI TBA TBA ADB