Arrested cops cry foul, SIT accuses them of murder

KOCHI: The remand report submitted in connection with the custodial death of

Sreejith S R

said the youth was assaulted before he was made to board a police vehicle on April 6.

A special investigation team (SIT) probing the case submitted the report to the judicial magistrate court in North Paravur on Thursday, even as a video clip, purportedly of the arrested officers, started doing the rounds, saying they were made scapegoats in the case.

“It is revealed that the accused persons assaulted Sreejith using their hands and legs after taking him into custody on the pathway and road before he was taken into the police vehicle,” the report said, adding that injuries to the internal organs turned fatal for the man.

Analysis of call data records also showed the involvement of the accused persons, who were members of the now-disbanded

Rural Tiger Force

, in the crime, the report read.

The SIT also opposed granting bail to the accused persons, citing that they were influential police officers, now under suspension.

Policemen Santhoshkumar P P, Jithin Raj and Sumesh M S were arrested on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in a video, the accused persons claimed they were made scapegoats to protect higher officers. Jithin, Santosh and Sumesh were seen in the video requesting chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and DGP Loknath Behera for a proper investigation.

The policemen were produced before the North Paravur magistrate and were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday. They have been charged under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC.

In the video made two days ago and now released by their relatives, the cops alleged a conspiracy behind targeting them in the case. They said they had reported to the inspector of North Paravur police circle following a directive from the control room. On the instruction of the CI, they went to Sreejith’s house in plainclothes, and picked him up.

“He was sent in one of the two police vehicles waiting outside. We then proceeded to nab another man in the case pertaining to the attack on the house of one Vasudevan, in an auto rickshaw,” said Kumar, expressing their wiliness to undergo a lie-detection test. They also cited that they were also lauded by their superiors for the ‘good job’.

SIT sources, however, said they were arrested based on witness statements and scientific and circumstantial evidence.


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