Kottayam: As the trial into the 2018 Kevin P Joseph murder case proceeds, the prosecution stated the victim's body was lying in 3-feet deep water when it was retrieved from Chaliyakkara River in Kollam district. The images of its retrieval, displayed in the court room, were then admitted as evidence.
Kottayam youth Kevin P Joseph was abducted in May 2018 by a gang allegedly hired by his fiancee Neenu's family and he was found dead in a river in Kollam district a day later. Neenu’s father and brother are accused in the sensational murder case. Action was also taken against Shibu, the sub-inspector of the Gandhinagar police station in Kottayam, for delaying the probe into the missing case.
Dr K Merwin, who examined Kevin’s relative Aneesh Sebastian, told the court that his body had bruises inflicted from beating. His face had several marks. Aneesh also mentioned he was abducted by some in a car, the doctor said.
Meanwhile, in a related case of bribing policemen, a confidential statement of accused number 1 Sanu Chacko and accused no. 3 Ishaan against ASI TM Biju was admitted as temporary evidence. The prosecution’s plea to consider it permanent evidence will be considered later.
Biju was the officer on night duty at the Gandhi Nagar Station.
The accused had told the court that they were at Mannanam, near Kottayam town, at 2.30 am on 27 May, 2018, the day Kevin was abducted and later murdered. Their car was inspected by police after its number plate was found smudged with mud. They were let off after Biju was paid a bribe of Rs 2,000.
The prosecution sought to consider their statement in that case admitted in the murder trial since it proved the accused were in Mannanam on the day of murder.
The defendants’ lawyers argued that confidential statements from another case cannot be considered evidence in murder trial.
The then Pala Judicial First-Class Magistrate S Lakshmi and Changanassery First-Class Magistrate Lijumol Sherif appeared in court.
Meanwhile, the state government has stayed the reinstatement order of Gandhi Nagar SI MS Shibu on Thursday. Kevin’s family had complained about the move to chief minister, who sought a detailed inquiry into the issue.
Departmental action was taken against the SI after he was suspended. Biju was about to be reinstated as a low-ranking, junior SI and transferred to Idukki.
DGP Loknath Behra had said he knew of the SI’s reinstatement from media.
