THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has decided to hand over the investigation of Pavaratty custodial death case to the CBI. The state cabinet on Wednesday entrusted the Additional Chief Secretary, Home department to take the necessary steps in this regard. Accused in a Ganja case, Ranjith Kumar, a native of Tirur in Malappuram died while in custody of the Excise Enforcement and Narcotic Squad, Thrissur on October 1.
The cabinet is learnt to have taken a decision to transfer investigation into all custodial death cases to CBI. The decision was taken in the wake of a recent Supreme Court observation pointing out the impropriety in state agencies probing custodial death cases.
The Pavaratty police had on Friday registered a murder case against eight excise officials involved in the custodial death. The case has been registered into the unnatural death of Ranjith Kumar while under custody by the Narcotic Squad, and the role of those involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, the Pavaratty police have arrested two more excise officials, accused in the case, on Wednesday. The arrest of Mahesh and Smibin were recorded on Wednesday. With this, the total number of officials taken into custody has become five.
Excise Preventive Officers Abdul Jabbar, Anop Kumar and Nithin Madhav were arrested earlier. Cases were registered against a total of seven excise officials.