The Ernakulam Rural police have launched a probe into an incident in which a sub-inspector attached to the Njarakkal police station allegedly slapped a teenager.

The allegation was levelled by the family of a woman summoned to the station in connection with a missing gold chain case. Her 16-year-old grandson, who had accompanied her, was allegedly slapped when he tried to clarify that his grandmother had difficulty hearing while the officer was questioning her.

The police, however, dismissed the allegation. The woman had been summoned after another woman complained of losing her gold chain near the Nayarambalam bus stop. Witness accounts and CCTV footage reportedly showed the elderly woman picking up something from the ground, police said. The woman, however, maintained that she had picked up a ₹50 note that had fallen from her hand.

The family further accused police personnel of carrying out an unauthorised check of their mobile phones. Incidentally, CCTV footage was not available of the woman being questioned. Police sources said the gold chain remains missing and that allegations from both sides are being examined.