KOCHI: In the re-registered FIR concerning the custodial death of a 30-year-old individual in Tanur, the CBI has accused four members of the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) of murder. The FIR has been presented before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kochi.
The CBI’s special crime branch, led by Thiruvananthapuram DySP Raunak Kumar, is probing the case. The accused individuals are senior civil police officer Ginesh, 37, of Pallikkal, Malappuram; CPO Alvin Augustine, 36, of Neendakara, Kollam; Abhimanyu, 35, of Thamarakulam, Malappuram; and Vipin, 38, of Vallikunnu, Malappuram. All of them were part of the DANSAF squad under the Tanur sub division of the Malappuram police.
A CBI official stated, “The FIR is registered against police officers whose involvement was found by the Crime Branch. Similarly, all the charges brought against the accused by the Crime Branch have also been retained in the FIR. As the investigation progresses, based on the evidence, more individuals may be implicated in the case. We have already recorded statements from the relatives of the deceased, Tamir Jifri.”
The charges filed against the accused cops include IPC sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 346 (wrongful confinement in secret), 348 (wrongful confinement to extort confession), 330 (custodial torture), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by the use of dangerous weapons), and 302 (murder). Initially, the case was registered as an unnatural death but was later taken over by the Crime Branch when it was determined to be a custodial death. Subsequently, the state government referred the matter to the CBI, and the High Court directed the national agency to expedite the takeover of the investigation.
On August 1, Tamir and four others were brought to the Tanur police station on allegations of possessing 18.14g of MDMA. While at the station, Tamir collapsed, and despite being rushed to the hospital, he was declared dead. It later came to light that Tamir and the other individuals had been taken into custody by DANSAF officials from another location and were subjected to brutal beatings before being handed over to the local police.