KOCHI: Probe into the recent abductions by gold smuggling rackets in the state has revealed they use “torture specialists” for “enhanced interrogation techniques” to extract information from those kidnapped.
The police said the rackets are using the so-called “specialists” to ensure that the victim stays alive or do not pass out during the interrogation that usually runs for days.Both the state police and the intelligence agencies got inputs on the use of “specialists” by the rackets after a postmortem on the body of Abdul Jaleel, who was recently tortured to death by a gold smuggling racket at Perinthalmanna, found over 100 injuries on his body, inflicted using different tools.
It was on May 15 that Abdul Jaleel was abducted from the airport on his arrival by a racket based on the information that he was carrying smuggled gold.“He was tortured for five days continuously. The accused had inflicted maximum pain on him which is normally an enhanced interrogation technique to crack open a person who is withholding crucial information,” said an intelligence officer who added that under normal circumstances, a person would not be able to withstand continuous physical torture even for a day.
As per a police report, the accused used iron bar, spanner, screw driver, knife and scissors to torture Abdul Jaleel for five days. The deceased had suffered more than 50 antemortem injuries. The report said the accused even provided him medical treatment with the help of a medical shop owner and a doctor to ensure that he did not pass out.
Postmortem report said Abdul Jaleel had about 117 injuries on his body with a majority of them antemortem. Malappuram district police chief Sujith Das S said a detailed probe is on covering all possible aspects. “We are looking into the details,” he said.
A senior police surgeon said only experts can inflict such physical tortures as a wrong injury could result in immediate death. “A blow is all enough to cause death. So torturing a person for days without killing him requires expertise,” the surgeon said.
The police are also waiting for detailed postmortem and forensic reports in the death of Irshad Nazar, 26, a resident of Perambra in Kozhikode, who was abducted by a gold smuggling racket on his return from Dubai on May 14 allegedly carrying smuggled gold worth `60 lakh. On July 6, he went missing and his body was found with severe injuries on July 17 at Kodikkal beach.In August 2021, Koyilandi resident Haneefa Thoniyadatu, 33, was abducted by an alleged gold smuggling racket on gun point and was released with injuries on his body.