THOOTHUKUDI: Hours after CB-CID Inspector General K Shankar hinted about taking all the five accused police officers into custody for investigation next week, the Tamil Nadu Prison Department shifted the cops imprisoned at the district jail in Perurani, Thoothukudi to Madurai Central Prison, on Saturday.
Accused policemen shifted to Madurai prison
Thoothukudi SP S Jeyakumar said that he has provided escort vehicles to shift the five policemen to Madurai Central Prison, as requested by the Tamil Nadu Prison Department.
According to sources, the vehicles escorting the five police personnel arrested on charges of murdering the two traders - P Jeyaraj and J Beniks, left the jail premises at around 4.30 PM and they were expected to reach Madurai Central Prison by 8 PM, said sources.
Arrest of fifth accused
Late on Friday, Vilathikulam DSP Peer Mohideen and Kulathur inspector Ramalakshmi nabbed head constable M Muthuraj, who was on the run for the past few days, from Poosanur village here. He was immediately handed over to CB-CID who had booked him and the four other cops for murder, disappearance of evidence and wrongful confinment of the two deceased traders.
Early on Saturday, the CB-CID sleuths produced Muthuraj before Chief Judicial Magistrate S Hema who remanded him for 14 days and imprisoned him at the district jail at Perurani here.
Custody of five police officers next week
CB-CID Inspector General K Shankar told the media that the agency had decided to take all the five cops into custody for interrogation, after analysing the witness statements, documents, material evidence collected so far, as per the investigation procedures.
The investigation is on from all angles, and more than 10 witnesses had been inquired, he said.
Media outlet summoned
Meanwhile, the CB-CID investigation agency had summoned a media outlet for sharing morphed pictures of Jeyaraj and Beniks, and called the editor for an inquiry.
Shankar said that the pictures published by the online media outlet did not match with the post mortem report and seems to be morphed with an intention to create unrest among the public. Such posts with distorted facts will hamper the investigation, he said.
Shankar appealed to the public to not circulate false and unverified information regarding the Sathankulam custodial case on social media.
He warned of strict action against those vested interests circulating fake news and photographs with ulterior motives. They shall take down the posts or face legal action, he said.