KOCHI: As a recognition of his excellence, Kochi Deputy Commissioner of Police Sasidharan appointed head of probe team | It carried out a scientific probe and netted prime accused Mohammed Shafi and Elanthoor couple
A routine woman missing case was reported at Kadavanthra station of the Kochi City police on September 26. A case that could have gathered dust in the station’s shelves was dug further to unravel the ‘human sacrifice’, which shook the conscience of the entire state. The brain that led the police to solve the complex case is that of unassuming Kochi Deputy Commissioner of Police S Sasidharan.
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He is the one who cracked the case after getting a hunch when the complaint of the missing woman was lodged with the Kadavanthra police station, according to police officers. “I have such intuitions. In this case also, I felt there’s something more serious,” said Sasidharan. “Such intuitions of mine rarely go wrong. Maybe, it is due to my experience,” he added.
Sensing the seriousness, the DCP ordered the police to launch a detailed investigation into the missing case. Subsequently, SHO Byju Jose began an inquiry and SI Midhun lodged an FIR. Sasidharan, on whom IPS was conferred in 2018, was posted as the DCP handling law and order and traffic, Kochi City, in August. He was serving as the Superintendent of Police, Vigilance Special Cell, Kozhikode City.
Many officers pointed out that possibilities were high for the case to be written off as the complainant was a Tamil Nadu native and the missing woman, a poor lottery seller, was staying alone in the city. However, the team under Sasidharan took a special initiative to crack the case. Hailing the efforts made by the DCP, City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju said the intuitions of Sasidharan had helped the police in cracking several cases earlier also.
As a recognition of his excellence, Sasidharan has been appointed the head of the investigation team constituted to carry out further inquiry into the case. On the direction of the DCP, the police team inspected the 10-room building at Elamkulam where the deceased Padmam stayed. The police directed the migrant workers staying there not to leave the place until further orders. The team carried out a scientific probe and netted prime accused Mohammed Shafi and the Elanthoor couple.
BLACK MAGIC: CPM CALLS FOR LEGISLATION
T’Puram: The CPM leadership has urged the government to explore the possibility of a new legislation to prevent crimes related to superstitions and black magic in society. While strictly implementing the existing legislations, the scope for a new one should also be looked into, said the CPM. In a statement, the CPM, however, said such practices cannot be prevented with law alone. Even while going ahead with legal interventions, there should be attempts to create awareness, it said. As per the National Crime Records Bureau’s data, there were 73 murders in connection with superstitions. Nobody would have thought that such an incident could happen in a state like Kerala, said the CPM secretariat condemning the human sacrifice incident.