KOCHI: Ahead of the trial in the case related to the serial blasts that rocked a Jehovah’s Witnesses gathering in Kalamassery, an alleged death threat was issued against witnesses who are to testify against Dominic Martin, the accused, on Wednesday. The threatening message was sent to the phone number of Sreekumar, the public relations officer of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian denomination.
“The threat message from a Malaysian phone number was received on my WhatsApp, around 10 pm on Monday. But, I noticed it only the following morning,” said Sreekumar, a resident of North Kalamassery.
Detailing about the threat message, he said: “The first message warned of explosions at Jehovah’s Witnesses’ worship centres, including near Aluva temple, and all other conventions across the state. When I asked why, the sender replied that Jehovah’s Witnesses must be eradicated from Kerala, and that anyone testifying against Dominic Martin would be killed. Here, I asked why he was telling all this to me. The sender replied that everyone needed to know.”
“All these communications were in English. No further messages followed,” he said. He added that, he has filed official complaints with both the Kalamassery Police and Aluva Rural Police. “We received the complaint regarding the death threat late on Tuesday. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for inciting communal hatred and issuing death threats,” said M B Latheef, SHO of Kalamassery Police Station. The investigation is under way, and we cannot reveal further details at this point, he added. Latheef also noted that the Kochi city police had filed the chargesheet in the Kalamassery blast case on time, and the trial proceedings are set to begin soon.
Meanwhile, the blast, which claimed eight lives and injured 45 others, occurred on October 29, 2023, during a prayer meeting at the Zamra Convention Centre in Kalamassery. The accused Martin, allegedly used a petrol bomb to carry out the attack. He was arrested shortly after the incident, following a Facebook Live confession. Initially booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), the charge was later dropped. In the chargesheet, police stated that Martin had allegedly learned to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using online resources.
Dubai links to be probed
In the wake of threatening messages targeting Jehovah’s Witnesses, police are preparing to widen the scope of the investigation to include overseas connections of the accused. As part of this, the probe may be extended to Dubai, where the accused, Dominic Martin, had previously worked. “Martin spent a significant period of time in Dubai, and there is a possibility that he was influenced or radicalised during his stay there,” said a top police source. We are also considering taking Martin back into custody for further questioning in the wake of the new developments, he said.
State can now seek help from Dubai police
Previously, a detailed investigation in Dubai could not be conducted owing to the absence of necessary approvals. However, with the state government giving clearances, the Ministry of Home Affairs can move forward to seek help from the Dubai police.