KOCHI: The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Aluva, on Tuesday received the six mobile phones submitted by actor Dileep and other accused persons in the conspiracy case before the High Court Registrar General. The magistrate court will soon decide on sending the phones for forensic analysis.
Earlier in the day, Justice Gopinath P of the High Court ordered the HC Registrar General to transfer the phones to the magistrate court in a sealed cover. The court passed the order when the anticipatory bail petitions filed by actor Dileep and other accused in the case relating to the alleged conspiracy to murder the officers probing the 2017 actor abduction case came up for hearing.
The court orally observed that it did not want to be told that the accused persons in the case were getting more protection than what an ordinary accused would not have got. On Tuesday, the investigating officer verified the mobile phones produced before the court and confirmed that the phones (mentioned as serial numbers 2 to 6 in the order dated January 29) were the ones sought by the prosecution. About the mobile phone mentioned as serial number 7, the IMEI number could not be verified.
During the hearing, Director-General of Prosecution (DGP) T A Shaji submitted that the accused were not cooperating with the investigation and therefore, the probe could not be taken forward. The custodial interrogation of the accused persons, including Dileep, is essential to unearth the conspiracy angle. Ample material was available against the accused, the DGP said.
He said at one point of time during the interrogation, the actor told the investigating officer that he would not cooperate with the probe. When the DGP submitted that the probe officer had identified some more phones used by the accused from the CDR, the court said the investigation officer could probe whatever information they could gather.
About the fourth phone used by the actor, his counsel claimed that it was not with them. The court adjourned the hearing on the anticipatory bail petitions to Thursday.
Crime Branch raids Dileep’s flat
Kochi: The crime branch team probing the conspiracy case on Tuesday raided a flat of Dileep at Ravipuram here. Officials said the raid was conducted with the court’s permission. The raid which started around 12.15pm continued till evening. The raid was carried out based on the allegations raised by director Balachandrakumar, in his statement to the probe team, that Dileep and two others conspired to endanger the life of the probe officers at the flat.