Thiruvananthapuram: Arjun, who is under a cloud of suspicion over the fatal accident that took the life of violinist Balabhaskar, has landed in Kerala, according to Crime Branch sources.
The Crime Branch had earlier traced the location of Arjun, who was the driver of the car that met with an accident killing Balabhaskar, to Assam. Relatives of Arjun informed the Crime Branch that he is now in Kerala.
However, the crime branch is of the view that Arjun should be questioned only after the results of forensic tests are available.
Arjun came under the cloud of suspicion after he changed his statement thrice in the case involving the death of Balabhaskar. He had first told the police that he was behind the wheels when the car carrying Balabhaskar and his family met with an accident at Pallippuram in Thiruvananthapuram district at 3 am.
The accident took place when Balabhaskar, his wife and child were returning home after a pooja at the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur. While the child died on the spot, Balabhaskar died in hospital during treatment. After the death of the violinist, Arjun retracted, saying that Balabhaskar was driving the car.
After the Crime Branch took over the case, Arjun was questioned by the enquiry team headed by DySP Harikrishnan. He then told the team that he doesn't remember who was driving the vehicle.
Balabhaskar's family was informed by some people that they had seen a person wiping blood off the front seat of the car after the accident. After this, hair, blood samples and fingerprints were collected from the car and sent for forensic tests. Arjun's samples were also collected.
Since Arjun has given contradictory statements on who was driving the car, the Crime Branch sleuths are waiting for the results of forensic tests. Balabhaskar's wife Lakshmi has said in her statement that Arjun was driving the car at the time of the accident.
But Aji, a KSRTC driver who was present at the spot of the accident, had said that Balabhaskar was in the driver's seat. If the forensic tests confirm that Balabhaskar was indeed behind the wheels, the cops will get the answer to why Arjun changed his statement thrice.
Three years ago, Arjun was booked for trying to rob ATMs in Thrissur and Palakkad districts. Arjun, a resident of Patturaikkal in Thrissur, was caught by the police while he was studying for engineering. He had also deceived people claiming that he possessed the fabled nagamanikyam, an imaginary stone found inside the head of a cobra. Later, he became the driver of Balabhaskar. Arjun is a relative of the wife of a doctor-friend of Balabhaskar in Palakkad.
The car accident and Balabhaskar's death again made headlines after his friends were named as accused in a 25 kg gold smuggled case through the airport.
