Kasaragod: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is set to undertake DNA testing of Savad Meerankutty (38), the first accused in the 2010 Thodupuzha hand-chopping case. The action is part of NIA's efforts to strengthen the probe with more conclusive scientific evidence.
Savad led a normal life as a carpenter for 13 years till he was arrested from a rented house at Beram in Kannur's Mattannur municipality on January 10.
The case
The accused had cut off the hand of Professor T J Joseph for allegedly ridiculing Prophet Mohammed in a Malayalam question paper he prepared for the internal examination of B.Com students at Newman College, Thodupuzha in Idukki district. The incident took place on July 4, 2010, and Savad was only 27 years old then. The attackers, a group of seven people, pulled the professor out of the vehicle, assaulted him and then his right hand was chopped off by the main accused Savad.
The anti-terror agency found Savad after 13 years of absconding in the name of Shah Jahan. According to NIA, the accused had lived in the Valappattanam, Vilakottur and Beram regions of Kannur after changing his identity. While police and NIA were searching for Savad, he was leading a normal life after marrying a woman from Manjeshwar and changing his name to Shajahan.
Though NIA had received inputs on the absconding accused's presence in Kannur, they were confused as he was popular as Shajahan in Beram. But anomalies on his name in the birth certificates of his two children played a crucial role in confirming his real identity, said NIA sources.
While he used his original name (Savad M M) on the first child's birth certificate, he used 'Savad Shajahan' on the certificate of his second child. These two documents led the NIA to crack his identity. Injury marks on his body also confirmed that he is the absconding accused in the hand-chopping case. Sources hinted that though Savad changed his hideouts, he did not leave Kerala even after NIA issued a lookout notice for him.
The NIA received credible leads about Savad following the announcement of a Rs 10 lakh reward for information about him. He was eventually detained on January 10.
