KOCHI: Martin Joseph, who was arrested following days-long hot pursuit in connection with a complaint that he had raped and tortured a 27-year-old fashion designer from Kannur after detaining her in a luxury flat in Kochi for nearly a month, is yet to confess to the crime, the police said.
According to a police source, Martin, who was apprehended from a hideout in Thrissur on Thursday, was not willing to agree to all of the allegations levelled against him by the 27-year-old woman.
“The main allegation raised by the victim against him is that he had raped, assaulted and confined her in the flat for nearly a month. When we interrogated him, he denied confining her for such a long time. He also denied that he had forced her to drink urine. He also said that he was not responsible for the bruises on her body,” said the source.
It is learnt that Martin also challenged the police to check the CCTV visuals of the Purva Grand Bay complex at Marine Drive where he had been staying in an 11th-floor apartment. “He asked the police to check the CCTV visuals of the complex to know what had actually happened. He did not accept all allegations levelled against him,” said the police.
The police on Friday took Martin to the flat to collect evidence, which lasted nearly an hour. The police also submitted a custody application before the court. “We need to collect more evidence to make the case stronger. It will take more than 10 days to complete the procedures as one more complaint has been lodged against him,” said the source.
“He was not just doing stock trading, but had other business dealings as well. Interestingly, several people had been pumping in money and he was using the same for lending at exorbitant interest rates. Since Martin and one of his friends were involved in an Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act case, we suspect that they have some connections with the drug mafia,” said police..
MARTIN’S BAIL PLEA DISMISSED
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail of Martin Joseph of Thrissur, accused of assaulting and raping a woman in a flat at Marine Drive here. When the petition came up for hearing, Senior Advocate P Vijayabhanu, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the action of the police was an insult to the court as the matter is pending before the court and it’s unfortunate. Then the court replied there was nothing wrong in arresting the accused when there was no interim order.