Family questions police findings in death of Munambam police officer, seeks detailed probe

Kochi: The family of senior civil police officer Binu Varghese, 43, attached to Munambam police station who was found dead on Tuesday, demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Relatives also questioned police’s preliminary finding that work stress was unlikely to be the cause of the death and that the officer’s suicide note mentioned financial challenges.Earlier, North Paravur police stated that when Varghese, a native of Kedamangalam, could not be located at his residence, family members began searching for him and found him hanging from the rafters on the roof of the house. Police said they recovered a suicide note from the body, which said no one was responsible for his death.“He went to duty on Monday morning without any issues. I was on night duty and returned home to sleep. I do not know what suddenly prompted him to take such a step,” said Sini, Varghese’s wife, who works as a nurse at a private hospital.She also rejected claims that the family was facing serious financial difficulties. “I have been working for the last 16 years, and our financial challenges can be managed with our income,” she said.Family members alleged that Varghese appeared visibly disturbed after returning from work. “He earlier told us that there were problems at workplace and that he might lose his job,” Sini added.According to relatives and local councillors, Varghese was recently involved in handling a dispute between two neighbours over a land issue in which a woman was allegedly assaulted. A video clip related to the incident later surfaced on social media, showing the victim questioning Varghese over why charges of attempt to murder had not been invoked in the case.“He was a soft-hearted man, and this incident deeply affected him. He had spoken to his wife about it. We have not seen the letter reportedly recovered by police, and the claims attributed to it do not align with what we know,” said C A Rajeev, councillor of Kedamangalam ward in North Paravur municipality.The family and local councillors also alleged that Varghese’s mobile phone remains in police custody and has not been handed over to the family. “If the phone records are examined, they could provide more clarity on the factors that led to his death,” Rajeev said.