Nedumkandam: The two main accused named in the Nedumkandam custodial death case, sub-inspector C B Rejimon and police driver Niyaz, are likely to surrender before the Crime Branch on Sunday. The special investigation team had listed four accused for the death of financial-fraud accused Kumar on June 21.
More accused could be added after a detailed interrogation of the two cops - sub-inspector K A Sabu and civil police officer Sajeev Antony - already in custody, sources said.
It is said that the Crime Branch was delaying the arrest of the accused to help them secure anticipatory bail.
The Peermade first-class judicial magistrate court, on Saturday, rejected the bail plea of SI Sabu. The court had earlier rejected the bail plea of Sajeev. Sources had earlier indicated that the court would not grant them bail as they were 'capable' of influencing witnesses and 'altering the course' of the investigation.
Both Sabu and Sajeev are housed at the Devikulam sub-jail on remand. The Crime Branch team will move an application in the Peermade court to seek their custody.
Ahead of this, the Crime Branch had 'summoned' some policemen of the Nedumkandam station to seek certain details.
Meanwhile, the investigators found that the order to detain Kumar in police 'custody' was orally given to Sabu by then superintendent of police (SP), Idukki, K B Venugopal. (Venugopal has since been removed from the post). The SP reportedly gave the instruction through his gunman's phone.
IG visits police station
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Crime Branch, Gopesh Agarwal has directed the investigation team to ensure a foolproof investigation into the custody death. He visited the Nedumkandam police station on Saturday. He inspected the first-floor restroom of policemen where Kumar was reportedly subjected to inhuman brutalisation and torture. The IG read through the statements of the policemen and the confessional statements of SI Sabu and civil police officer (CPO) Sajeev Antony.
The investigation is now being supervised by crime branch SP, Kottayam, K M Sabu. The team is expected to collect information from senior officers in the district soon.
Phone-tapping row
The Crime Branch has also started investigating the suspected phone tapping following Kumar's death. The case is that the phones of key officers in Idukki and all policemen of Nedumkandam police station were tapped following the incident at the behest of the then SP.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the SP had directed his subordinates to carry out the 'tapping' without proper authorisation. After Kumar died on June 21, sources said, the SP wanted the phones of officers tapped and 'all information passed on to him on a real-time basis.'
As a result, some officers who got a whiff of the SP's move were wary of attending even official calls.
The other major allegation against the former SP, being investigated by the Crime Branch now, pertains to a May 15 special branch report on Haritha Finance, the company run by Kumar. The special branch had informed the Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Intelligence, of the report. The report apparently warned of a large-scale financial fraud brewing in Idukki. The report had mentioned Kumar's name too.
The report said the police could intervene and stop the fraud and save the hard-earned savings of hundreds of unsuspecting customers.
Sources said the SP 'suspiciously' abstained from directing his officers to register a case immediately. The Nedumkandam police registered a case after much delay, only on June 12.
