KOCHI: Dominic Martin, the main suspect in the Kalamassery IED blasts case, had tried to prevent his family members from attending the Jehovah’s Witnesses convention on Sunday, police have found. During questioning, Martin reportedly told the police that he had made several phone calls to his wife in an attempt to dissuade his mother-in-law and other relatives from attending the prayer meeting, to ensure their safety.
“We found that Dominic made these calls to his wife an hour before the blast after learning that his mother-in-law was planning to attend the convention. However, his wife was engaged in household chores and couldn’t answer the call,” said a highly placed source, on condition of anonymity.
The source said though Martin met his mother-in-law at the Zamra convention centre a few minutes before the blasts, he didn’t say anything to her and decided to go ahead with his plan to explode the IEDs.
“He has been behaving like a sociopath during the interrogation, and he is making rants just like his Facebook video post. He firmly believes that the Jehovah’s Witnesses is a cult that wants the destruction of non-believers. He is not ready to accept any other narrative besides the one conjured up by himself,” said the source.
The police said Dominic also expressed remorse over his act as it led to the death of killed three people, and left several seriously injured.
Police planning to file chargesheet in 30 days
“Dominic Martin showed remorse over the deaths. He wants the law to punish him for this heinous act. For this, he kept every single piece of evidence in his possession, including the purchase bills, which were later recovered by the police,” said the officer.
Meanwhile, the police are planning to file a chargesheet in the case within 30 days, as the accused has provided all the evidence that prove him guilty. “We believe whatever he said to the team regarding the evidence is correct. We have verified the digital footprints. So the police do not have to spend more time on evidence collection,” said the officer.
Dominic, who has been living with his wife and a child in a rented house near Thammanam, Kochi, had returned from Dubai a few months ago. He made the employer believe that his relative had serious health issues. The employer then relieved from duty as a foreman.
Martin to argue case himself
Accused Dominic Martin declined the legal aid offered by Ernakulam District Principal Sessions Court on Tuesday. When he was produced in court, he submitted that he would argue the case himself.
Earlier, the court asked Dominic whether he had arranged any lawyer to represent him in the case. He replied that he had not deputed a lawyer and that he would argue the case himself. To this, the court told him that there was a provision to give him legal assistance if he was unable to find a counsel and a lawyer was present in the court to give him legal aid.
“I want to express my ideas in my own voice,” he submitted. The court then told the legal aid counsel that his presence would be recorded, but he could not be assigned as Dominic’s counsel since he wished to argue the case himself. The court then remanded him in judicial custody till November 29.