Kochi: Police will launch a detailed probe into the financial means and dealings of Pulikkottil Martin Joseph, arrested for raping and torturing his live-in partner at his rented accommodation at Marine Drive here.
The 26-year-old man had been leading a luxurious life in a premium flat in an upmarket area, besides having multiple vehicles.
Expanding the scope of the investigation, police were checking Joseph’s possible involvement in other criminal activities. A notice has been issued asking people to contact the Ernakulam Central Police if they have any complaints, including on financial dealings, against Joseph.
Police were also probing whether more women had fallen prey to the man or his associates. Three of Joseph’s associates were also arrested for harbouring him while he had been on the run.
One more case was registered against Joseph based on another woman’s complaint. Surprisingly, despite having a dubious background, no other case has so far been registered against the man.
Joseph, arrested from Thrissur after a chase, was brought to the Central Police Station early on Friday. He was taken to the Puravankara apartment complex, where the woman had been repeatedly assaulted. Claiming innocence, Martin asked reporters there to check CCTV visuals.
The caretaker and security personnel at the flat identified the accused. After a medical examination around noon, Joseph was presented before a court via video conferencing. The court remanded him in custody till June 23.
Police said they would seek his custody for further interrogation. He would be taken to his hideouts, a flat in Kakkanad, and Thrissur, for collecting evidence.
Meanwhile, city police commissioner C H Nagaraju said that Joseph’s associates, Dhaneesh, 29, of Pavaratty in Thrissur, Sreerag, 27, of Puthur and John Joy, 28, of Mundur, have been charged for helping Joseph to evade arrest. Sreeraj was earlier accused in a ganja case.
The Commissioner said police have confiscated a Maruti Swift car, a BMW car and two bikes that Joseph had used to flee the city.
The complainant, a 26-year-old woman from Mattannur in Kannur, had been in a live-in relationship with Joseph for more than a year. The man, she said, had been abusive since February this year, and she was forced to the confinement of the flat in Marine Drive.
She fled the flat when Joseph had gone to get food. She later lodged a police complaint early in April.
Police lapse under probe
Kochi: The lapses on the part of the police during the initial stage of the case will be investigated, hinted Inspector General and City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju.
An Assistant Commissioner has already begun a department-level probe into the issue, the Commissioner said, adding that the local police had failed in alerting senior officers despite the serious nature of the case.
Nagaraju said he realized the gravity of the case only after seeing media reports. The complainant woman had approached the media after the police made no substantial moves even two months after lodging the complaint.
The Commissioner, however, said efforts had been made soon after receiving the complaint, but the accused remained elusive. He admitted that an elaborate search, which landed the accused in custody on Thursday, was not launched initially.
Justifying the police, Nagaraju said all legal formalities had been completed earlier. The passport of the accused was confiscated, and the police opposed his bail applications in the Sessions Court and later in the High Court.
A lookout circular was also issued to prevent him from fleeing the country, the Commissioner cited while claiming that the police had been in pursuit of the accused.