THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch has begun a probe into the alleged involvement of two persons accused in a gold smuggling case, in the death of violinist Balabhaskar following a suspicion raised by his father. The probe will focus on Prakash Thampi and Vishnu Somasundaram, who were part of the music band owned by Balabhaskar.
The DRI had arrested the duo on charges of smuggling in connection with the seizure of 25 kg of gold from a passenger who alighted at the airport here from Dubai on May 15. The Crime Branch has started collecting details from the DRI. It will also interrogate Arjun, who was Balabhaskar’s driver at the time of the fatal accident.
The Crime Branch will record the statements of Balabhaskar’s friends and relatives once again to find out whether the late musician had any financial dealings with Prakash Thampi and Vishnu. Prakash was the manager of Balabhaskar’s musical band. Vishnu was a long-time friend of Balabhaskar and it was he who appointed Arjun as the driver for Balabhaskar’s trip. He also looked after the financial dealings of Balabhaskar and managed his foreign trips.
Investigating officer Harikrishnan told ‘Express’ the involvement of the gold smuggling accused in the death of Balabhaskar was underway. “The investigation into the death of Balabhaskar has been going on for quite some time. We have contacted the DRI and begun a probe. If we find any vital links, we will take further steps, including seeking the custody of the accused,” he said. The case was handed over to the Crime Branch on January 29 from the local police. However, Balabhaskar’s wife Lakshmi denied any connection between her husband and the gold smuggling accused. In her Facebook post, Lakshmi has said that Prakash and Vishnu were not employees of Balabhaskar and her husband did not have any financial dealings with them.
Meanwhile, the relatives of Balabhaskar have raised doubts about his financial dealings with a doctor based in Palakkad. Artist Kalabhavan Sobi, in a statement on Saturday, said that soon after the accident at Pallipuram, he saw two persons under suspicious circumstances at the spot. Sobi came to know only later that it was the accident involving Balabhaskar and his family. After informing some of his friends Prakash had called him and asked him to report it to the police. But later, the Attingal police, which is investigating the case, did not contact him.
‘Had named Prakash and Vishnu in my complaint’
In an exclusive chat with Express, Balabhaskar’s father KC Unni said he had named Prakash and Vishnu in the complaint which was lodged with the police much earlier. “Though the suspected involvement of Thambi and Vishnu is being mentioned now, I had raised doubts against them when I filed the first complaint with the police. The doubts were due to behavioural changes in them after my son’s death. It is true that Vishnu was handling the financial dealings of Balabhaskar. Thambi was Balu’s manager. Balu had a dream to build a new house for us in another location. He had invested some money in a hospital. So I doubt a tussle between Balu and some of his friends started when Balu requested the money back from the investment. The Crime Branch probe is going on and the truth will come out,” Unni said.