K.V. Santhosh, chief investigating officer who probed the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case, told the trial court that the police had obtained clinching evidence of the accused persons’ involvement in the killing of the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader at Onchiyam, on May 4, 2012.
Mr. Santhosh, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy.SP), Crime Branch, was deposing before R. Narayana Pisharadi, judge, Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad Cases), on Tuesday.
Chandrasekharan was killed by a gang allegedly hired by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] at Vallikkad. Special public prosecutor C.K. Sreedharan examined the key prosecution witness.
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He said that investigators had obtained the fingerprint of M.C. Anoop, the first accused, from a Tata Nano car which he had used to escape after committing the crime. Fingerprint experts attached to the Kozhikode Rural Police had collected the fingerprint of Anoop from the 11 samples they had collected from various bikes and cars recovered.
One of the fingerprints had been identical to the one the police had referred to fingerprint experts.
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Mr. Santhosh said that the forensic science laboratory had given reports regarding the blood stains of Shijith aka Annan, the sixth accused in the case, recovered from the Totoya Innova Multi Utility Vehicle used by the accused in the murder of Chandrasekharan.
He also disposed that P.K. Kunhanandan, 13 accused and member of the Panur area committee of the CPI (M), had escaped in a Mahindra Bolero Sport Utility Vehicle to Bangalore.
The Bolero vehicle was owned by the CPI(M) Kannur district committee. But the power of attorney vested with K.K. Pavithran, secretary of the Panur area committee of the CPI(M).
Pavithran was one of the prosecution witnesses who had turned hostile during his deposition on April 17.
Kunhanandan had remained elusive for more than a month after the police issued a lookout circular. But he surrendered after the Thalassery Principal Sessions Court dismissed his anticipatory plea.
Sanction
Mr. Santhosh also told the trial court that the Kannur District Collector in his capacity as the District Magistrate had given sanction for prosecuting the seven assailants under Sections 3 and 5 of Explosives Substances Act.
The alleged hired killers had stored explosives with them and had exploded them at the onlookers who had tried to rescue Chandrasekharan after he was hacked on the Kainatti- Orkatteri road at 10.15 p.m. on May 4, 2012.
The deposition of the Dy.SP will continue on Wednesday. This was to examine him in connection with the chemical analysis reports.