A Crime Branch Deputy SP posted in Alappuzha district has been suspended for breach of discipline and tarnishing the image of the police and the Kerala government by spending hours at the home of a notorious gangster, the state Home Department said on Tuesday.

The officer -- Alappuzha Crime Branch DySP M G Sabu -- was suspended on the directions of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who also holds the Home portfolio.

Besides Sabu, three other policemen who were present with him at the gangster's home for several hours on May 26, were also suspended by the State Police Chief, the Home Department order dated May 27 said.

The order, which was made public on Tuesday, said the actions of Sabu, whose duty was to protect the public, created an impression that he was helping a gangster.

The Home Department said the actions of Sabu, prima facie, show a "serious breach of discipline" and "tarnished the reputation of the police and the state government".

It said that the actions of the policemen also amounts to weakening the measures taken by the police against activities that pose a danger to the peaceful living of the general public.

Sabu has been suspended with immediate effect and will face disciplinary proceedings, it added.

During the suspension period he will be entitled to subsistence allowance, the order said.

The action comes in the same week he was reportedly set to retire from the force.

According to the police, Sabu and the other three policemen were allegedly attending a party at the residence of the notorious gangster Thammanam Faisal at Angamaly in the Ernakulam district.

The policemen were found to be present at the gangster's residence when local police officials conducted surveillance on anti-social elements on May 26.

Sensing the surveillance of the local policemen at the gangster's residence, DySP Sabu had allegedly rushed into a toilet and closed the door to avoid being identified by them.

A senior official from the Ernakulam rural police had stated that officers from the Angamaly station identified the police personnel present at the residence of the gangster, a notorious criminal accused of numerous cases, during their visit.

The local police had reached the residence of the gangster as his activities had been under their radar for quite some time.

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