UDUPI: The state government handed over the Bhaskar Shetty murder case to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday. District Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said he received a communique in this regard from the government.
“Just now I received a message from the Home Minister’s office that Bhaskar Shetty murder case inquiry has been handed over to the CID on my request,” the minister posted in a WhatsApp group.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police K T Balakrishna told Express that an official communique is yet to be received in this regard. “As per the procedure, the CID team will arrive and an investigating officer (IO) will be appointed by them. The case then will be handed over by the present IO to the newly appointed IO,” he said. The new IO may visit the crime spots again to collect more evidence.
Sources said it is not yet known as to which wing of the CID will take over the case.
Probability is that the specialised homicide squad of the CID may be assigned with the job. Madhwaraj said he has received this information from Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Meanwhile, Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Judge K Shivaram has remanded the trio accused in the murder of Bhaskar to judicial custody till August 24. The accused Rajeshwari Shetty, Navaneeth Shetty and Niranjan Bhat were produced before the court on Tuesday as their police custody ended. While Rajeshwari Shetty will be sent to Mangaluru jail, the other two male accused will be kept in Udupi district prison in Hiriyadka.
Though there is a women’s cell in the Udupi district prison, there are no women prisoners. Hence Rajeshwari Shetty will be shifted to Mangaluru prison.
Karkala ASP Sumana, who is the investigating officer in this case, told reporters that the police still have the option to take custody of Rajeshwari Shetty and Navaneeth Shetty for six more days and that of Niranjan Bhat for 11 more days.
In case the investigating team gets any additional evidence, the custody of the accused may be sought, she added. ‘’The residuals of Bhaskar Shetty if found in areas of the rivers (Kadandale, Palli or Kalkaru), we may seek the custody of the accused,” she added.
She said , “In case we do not get any additional evidence, judicial custody gets extended. They will not get bail this early.’’
“The DNA report is expected to reach us within 10-15 days,’’ she said and added the investigating team has been able to trace the places as to where the objects used in the crime might have been disposed of. ‘Mahajar’ (spot inspection) is also over, she added.