KOCHI: After the arrest of Sabu K A, sub-inspector and the first accused in the Nedumkandam custodial torture case, the CBI will soon arrest other accused police officials. The CBI will also probe the involvement of senior officials, including Idukki district police chief, Kattappana DySP and the station house officer of Nedumkandam police station.
The CBI arrested Sabu as per a Supreme Court order after the Kerala government approached it challenging the High Court decision granting bail to Sabu last year. “In the Supreme Court verdict, it was stated that the bail of all accused police officers should be cancelled and they should be arrested. Four police officials got bail from the High Court and two from the district sessions court. We will file a petition to cancel their bail at the respective courts which granted them bail earlier. Their arrests will be recorded in the coming weeks,” a CBI officer said.
Other accused police officials are assistant sub-inspector Regimon C B, driver/civil police officers Niyas S, Sajeev Antony, home guard James K M, civil police officer Jithin K George and assistant subinspector Roy P Varghese. Other than James K M and Jithin K George all other accused are currently under suspension. Meanwhile, the CBI will probe the involvement of other officials, including senior police officials, in the case.
The CBI in its preliminary inquiry found that more police officials, including seniors, were involved in planning and execution of the torture. “The interrogation of Sabu is crucial in the case. We have to check whether the senior officials, including SP, DySP and CI ranked officials, were informed about the custody of Rajkumar. We suspect the involvement of more officials in the case,” CBI official said. Crime Branch in its investigation had given a clean chit to senior police officials, including the station house officer, DySP Kattappana and Idukki SP.