KOCHI: The CBI on Monday took over the probe into the death of actor Kalabhavan Mani by re-registering the FIR in the case at the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.Though the case has been registered with the Special Crime Branch, Thiruvananthapuram, Inspector Vinod D attached to the Kochi unit of the CBI will be probing the case.
The CBI registered the FIR to investigate the unnatural death of Kalabhavan Mani under Section 174 of CrPC. The Central agency has not named any accused in the case.
According to the FIR registered by the CBI, on March 6, 2016, at 11.30 pm, K K Babu, Additional Sub-Inspector, Chalakkudy Police Station, registered Crime No: 537/2016 under 174 CrPc on the basis of the statement of Ramakrishnan, of Kunissery House, Chennathunadu Desom, East Chalakkudy Village, Chalakkudy, Thrissur, recorded from a hospital in Edappally.
“Ramakrishnan stated his brother Kalabhavan Mani vomited blood at Padi near his house on March 5, 2016, at 3 pm and he was taken to hospital in Edappally. While under treatment in the hospital for jaundice he died on March 6, 2016, around 7.15 pm. The investigation was taken over on March 6, 2016, by a team led by K S Sudarsan, DySP,” the FIR stated.
“While the case was under investigation, the Kerala High Court in a writ petition no 7332/17(N) filed by K R Ramakrishnan, brother of Kalabhavan Mani, and WP(C) No 7748/2017 filed by Nimmy, wife of Mani alias Kalabhavan Mani vide order dated April 12, 2017, directed the CBI to conduct investigation in Crime No 537/2016 of Chalakkudy Police Station into the death of Mani alias Kalabhavan Mani,” it stated.
“Hence, the original Crime No 537/2016 of Chalakkudy Police Station is re-registered as RC 04(S)/2017/CBI/SCB/TVPM and taken up for investigation,” the FIR stated. Shiyas A S, SP CBI Special Crime Branch, Thiruvananthapuram, had registered the case. In the FIR, it is said Vinod D has been appointed investigation officer of the case.
According to the CBI, the case diary and other documents with the Kerala Police have been handed over to the investigating officer. “The investigation in the case will commence in the next few days. The witnesses in the case will be interrogated by the officers again. Similarly, further expert opinion into the evidence like blood sample result will be sought. As the first procedure, the statements of the witnesses will be recorded again,” a CBI officer said.