KOTTAYAM: The second phase of witness examination in the case charged in connection with abduction and murder of Kevin P Joseph commenced at the Principal Sessions Court here on Monday. The prosecution examined six more witnesses including Kevin’s father Joseph Jacob alias Rajan on the day.
During the examination held in front of the Sessions Judge C Jayachandran, Rajan said second accused Niyas and the fifth accused Chacko had met him on the day before the incident and demanded to hand over Neenu. He also said Kevin, who grew up on the banks of Meenachil river, knew swimming.
His statement was crucial in the prosecution’s argument that Kevin’s death was not an accidental drowning but a homicidal drowning. He added he first met Neenu when he arrived at Gandhinagar police station to lodge a complaint that Kevin and his relative Aneesh Sebastian were abducted. According to him, the then station house officer (SHO) didn’t consider the complaint with due diligence. The other witnesses, who were examined during the day, were the civil police officer Ajayakumar, who had been part of the night patrolling team from the Gandhinagar police station on the eventful night, and Sunnymon, who was the general diary (GD) in-charge at the same police station.
As per the statement of Ajaykumar, the patrol team had intercepted the first and third accused in a car about 150 meters from the location where Kevin had been staying and recorded their details in the duty log book.
The officer had also shot their picture along with the car and forwarded it to the then Assistant Sub Inspector in the station through Whatsapp for verification.
Besides recognising the accused duo in the court, the cop also identified a printout of the photograph. Meanwhile, Sunnymon confirmed that the attack on Kevin’s house by the accused was reported to Gandhinagar station and was communicated to the patrolling team on the night itself. The prosecution, represented by counsel C S Ajayan, also produced a CCTV footage showing the accused’s car following the police jeep to enter the MC Road around 2.30 a.m.
Betty Benny, the proprietor of the hostel in which Neenu had been staying during the period, confirmed that Kevin’s relatives rang her up after Kevin’s abduction and apprised of the situation. Jessy Mol, a lawyer practising in Ettumanur, who had given the legal advice to the Kevin-Neenu couple for registration of their marriage, was also examined during the day.
Against the accused
Vishnu, who has been arraigned as the 58th witness in the case, stated that Sanu, the twelfth accused in the case, had been using the former’s SIM card during the offence. The prosecution is slated to examine the technical evidence during the hearing on Tuesday.