MANGALURU: The former sanitation worker, who was arrested by the SIT, is still protected under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018, according to sources in the SIT.
Earlier, there were reports that his witness protection was withdrawn before the arrest. An officer associated with the SIT told TNIE that the witness-complainant, who is now named as an accused on charges of forgery and fabrication of evidence (under the same original section invoked in the case that is 211(A) of the BNS and no separate FIR is registered) in connection with the skull and other remains he claimed to have exhumed by himself and produced before the court, is protected under the Witness Protection Scheme, 2018, which is valid till September 10.
“We have intimated to the District Witness Protection Committee and it is up to the Principle District Judge and the District SP in the committee to take a call. Until they decide, we need to continue to conceal his identity hence his witness protection is not yet withdrawn and his face cover wasn’t removed even after his arrest,” the officer said, adding that as per procedure, brother of the accused was informed about his arrest.
The SIT officer said that during the 10-day custody period, they will continue to corroborate the claims he made as per his 164 statement. “We have sent samples of human remains and the soil recovered during exhumation for forensic analysis and we are still awaiting results. We will also continue cross examination and mahazar and recovery if any,” the officer added.
On the complaint filed by Sujata Bhat about alleged disappearance of a woman named Ananya Bhat, SIT sources said they have issued a notice to her and if she does not respond, they will have to record her statement at her place as she is a woman. Other petitions, including Padmalatha case, are also being looked into.