Thiruvananthapuram: Police on Thursday intensified the probe into the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College morphed images case by registering two more FIRs and re-arresting the prime accused, a third-year MBBS student.

The Medical College police re-arrested the accused, Abel Augustine, a native of Kakkavayal in Wayanad district, following the registration of the fresh FIRs against him. He had earlier been arrested in connection with the case but was subsequently released on bail by a court.

Police said the accused had created and circulated morphed images of more than 20 female medical students. Investigators also unearthed more details of the alleged crime after questioning Abel Augustine again on Thursday under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, based on statements collected from seven students of the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.

The accused had morphed images taken without the consent of victims from their Instagram Stories and circulated them on social media with obscene captions, police said. As part of the probe, social media accounts of the accused would be subjected to examination by cyber experts. More people, including his friends, have been placed under surveillance in connection with the case.

The Medical College has suspended Abel Augustine following the registration of the criminal case against him, the college principal informed. Around 100 students staged a protest outside the Medical College police station for several hours on Wednesday night, alleging that the accused had secured bail due to police negligence.

Police, however, have rejected the allegation. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kazhakkoottam, said there had been no lapse in the investigation and that the remand report had invoked all applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act. The court had granted bail after considering the remand report, he added. The ACP said the BNS generally requires police to issue a notice to the accused instead of making an immediate arrest in offences punishable with imprisonment of less than seven years. However, in this case, the accused was arrested and produced before the court, he added.

The protesters, on the other hand, maintain that the accused secured bail because police had invoked only lesser charges. University Union councillor N H Salih alleged that the sub-inspector at the Medical College police station had misbehaved with students who approached the station and expressed suspicion that the police had acted under pressure.

"If those accused of such offences are able to obtain bail so easily, it could encourage the recurrence of similar crimes. It was under these circumstances that we launched the protest," Salih said. While several students had faced harassment at the hands of the accused, but only senior students had initially come forward to lodge complaints. Junior students, too, would file complaints in the coming days, he added.

College union office-bearers also met Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing investigation. Following the meeting, the probe was transferred to the Cyber Inspector General of Police. The complainants later met the Cyber IG and submitted evidence related to the case. According to the union leaders, the Home Minister has assured them of a thorough investigation into the case