THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Retired policeman MM Thomas, who is the eighth witness in the sensational Sister Abhaya murder case, told the CBI Special Court that the first inquest report prepared by Kottayam West police was destroyed and a new one was prepared at the behest of the then ASI VV Augustine, who later committed suicide alleging CBI harassment.
Thomas, who was then a head constable with Kottayam West police, said M K Scaria, another constable, was told by Augustine to prepare a new inquest report. “It was Augustine who did the inquest and Scaria wrote the report. Scaria had a good handwriting and hence he used to write reports. Scaria later went to Kottayam Medical College Hospital with Abhaya’s body and came back to the station by 4 pm,” Thomas said.
Thomas said a police team comprising him, Scaria, Uthaman and Augustine had gone to Pius X Convent at 8.30 am on a complaint that a nun was missing. On the basis of information that “something was there”, they went to the kitchen, he said. Thomas recollected seeing a hand axe, a refrigerator with its door ajar, a water bottle lying on the floor, a nun’s veil and a pair of slippers, each lying apart, in the kitchen. He said when Abhaya’s body, which was found inside the well, was lifted out, she was only wearin a nighty. The statements stand contrary to the findings in the current inquest report.
Thomas’ statements could be CBI’s tool to prove the inquest report was changed to help the accused. Thomas identified the signature of Augustine and Scaria’s handwriting in the report. While crossing Thomas, defence lawyer B Raman Pillai asked him whether he remembered the details of all the inquests done by him during his career to which he replied in the negative.
Meanwhile, key witness Raju reiterated he had seen two men — one short and the other one tall — climbing the staircase of the convent.