KANNUR/KOZHIKODE: IN a new twist to the death of Ratheesh Kooloth, second accused in the Mansoor murder case, the postmortem report indicated he had sustained internal injuries and there were signs of strangulation. The findings have raised suspicion of foul play in the death of the 35-year-old, who was found hanging from a tree in a deserted compound at Kalikkulamb near Nadapuram on Friday, three days after IUML worker Mansoor was murdered.
As the report indicated unnatural death, Vadakara Rural SP A Sreenivas visited the hospital and recorded the statements of doctors who conducted the postmortem. The SP’s visit to the spot where Ratheesh’s body was found corroborated the suspicion regarding the nature of his death.
Responding to the development, IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said in Kozhikode that he believed Ratheesh’s death was not a case of suicide, but murder aimed at destruction of evidence. Alleging similar incidents have happened before as well, he said the IUML was closely monitoring the investigation to see if any political interference was involved.
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch team led by IG Sparjan Kumar and DySP P Vikraman visited Mansoor’s house on the day. The team took over the investigation on Saturday from the previous team led by DySP K Ismail following stiff protests by the Opposition, which alleged political influence over the probe team.