THRISSUR: CBI today took over the probe in connection with the mysterious death of film actor Kalabhavan Mani last year.
The Central agency took over the case files from Chalakudy police this afternoon, police sources said.
CBI will have to re-register the case and begin investigations afresh, the sources added.
Kerala High Court had last month ordered CBI to take over the probe after rejecting the agency's stand that it cannot investigate the case due to workload.
Mani's wife Nimmi and brother R L V Ramakrishnan had approached the court seeking CBI probe into the actor's death.
The Kerala government had in June 11 last year decided to hand over the case to the CBI.
However, the agency had turned it down saying its hands were full as it was investigating many other cases.
Mani, a popular actor in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films, who was undergoing treatment for a liver ailment at a hospital in Kochi, was found in a serious condition at his farmhouse at Chalakudy.
He later died at the hospital on March 6 last year.
However, after traces of chlorpyrifos, a toxic pesticide was found in his viscera sample and traces of methyl alcohol were found in his blood, his family members demanded a CBI probe.