COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu police on Thursday launched a parallel investigation into the crash of the IAF chopper on Wednesday. So far, 26 witnesses have been investigated by the team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Muthumanickam, said a police press release.
DGP C Sylendra Babu told TNIE the Nilgiris police had registered a case at Upper Coonoor station under Section 174 (Unnatural death) of the CrPC. “The CM has instructed us to complete the inquiry without delay. The report will be submitted before the concerned court in the district,” he said.
Experts from State forensic sciences department, led by director Srinivasan, collected material evidence from the crash site. Aeronautical experts have been roped in for the probe, he added. He lauded the police for their role in the rescue operation. Constable Siva, inspector Prithiviraj, SSI Ravi, DSP Sasikumar, ADSP Muthumanickam, along with locals, had pulled four people out of the wreckage alive.
Meanwhile, a 19-second video, believed to capture moments before the IAF chopper crashed, went viral. Nilgiris police questioned the persons who had recorded it. In the video, a group of people is seen walking on a railway track as a loud thud is heard and a chopper is seen disappearing into the thick fog in the sky. One person is heard asking “odanchinducha (has it broken)?”. The man recording the video is heard saying “yes”.
Sources said the video might have been shot from near the Runnymede railway station. “If it was recorded from there, it could be a vital piece of evidence regarding the weather conditions at the time,” sources added.