Kollam: The investigation in the case of abducting a six-year-old girl from Oyoor has been handed over to the Crime Branch.
The DIG R Nishanthini issued an order handing over the investigation into the case to the Kollam Rural District Crime Branch by Monday noon. A 13-member team led by Crime Branch DySP M M Jose will investigate the case. Pooyappally police were investigating the case till now.
The development comes amid the abducted girl’s brother, who is an eyewitness, stating that there were three men and a woman in the car in which the girl was abducted. However, the police have denied this claim and said the minor might have thought he saw more people as struggled to save his sister from the speeding car.
The Crime Branch has started the investigation to remove the ambiguity in the statements of the accused as well. Padmakumar, a native of Chathannoor, who was arrested in the case, is lodged in Poojappura jail, while his wife Anitha Kumari and daughter Anupama are lodged in the Attakulangara women's jail.
The decision of the Rural Crime Branch to take over the investigation has been reported to the court. The investigating officer also submitted an application for a production warrant to the court. A custody application will be filed on Tuesday for questioning the accused. The Crime Branch plans to interrogate the accused in detail to remove the ambiguity in their statements.
