KOCHI: Around 9 pm on March 4, 2017, a senior police officer in Thrissur range received an SMS on his mobile phone from a DySP saying that body of a nine-year-old girl was found hanging inside her house at Walayar. The DySP also conveyed that she was the younger sister of the 13-year-old girl whose body was similarly found hanging inside the same house on January 13.
The senior officer directed the DySP to cordon off the house for a detailed forensic examination. Next day, the officer himself reached the spot to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry. It was when the case file of the elder sister was perused in detail by the senior officer that he noticed that the police surgeon who had conducted the postmortem examination had mentioned about signs of multiple mucosal erosions in the anus of the victim.
Though this vital point led to a detailed probe into the death of the younger sister and subsequent arrest of the five accused – V Madhu, M Madhu, Pradeep Kumar, Shibu and a juvenile, the shoddy probe conducted by the police in the first case had already done all damage to weaken the case as both the victims were dead and there were no forensic evidence to connect the accused with the crime except for a few statements and medical report that both the children had anal abrasions.
A relook at the police probe into the death of the elder child reveals how a few police officers and prosecution had manipulated the case to help the accused go scot-free.
“Had the first incident been probed genuinely, the life of the younger girl could’ve been saved. She could’ve been given counselling and rescued. The police could also have proved the case with her help,” said a senior police officer.
After the second death, police higher-ups including state police chief Loknath Behera intervened and a special team was entrusted with the task to complete the probe.