Father-son death case: Absconding cop held

The absconding cop in the Tuticorin's horrific father-son death row was arrested on Friday. The constable who had managed to run away was arrested near Vilathikulam and handed over to CB-CID authorities for further investigation.

Tuticorin: A police constable wanted in connection with the sensational case of custodial torture and murder of a father-son duo at Sathankulam here, was arrested on Friday, police said.

The constable, Muthuraj, who had managed to evade arrest for a couple of days was "secured" near Vilathikulam, about 60 km from here, and he was brought to Tuticorin and handed over to CB-CID authorities, a police official said here. "We secured him at Poosanur off Vilathikulam. We zeroed in on him on the basis of some inputs," he said. With Muthuraj's arrest, the number of police personnel apprehended in the case has gone up to five.

A senior CB-CID official confirmed the arrest and said after questioning him, he would be produced before a court here tomorrow for remand. Earlier in the day, the CB-CID official scotched speculation that Muthuraj, has "come forward to be an approver" in this case. The official said that the claim was not true adding efforts were on to apprehend him. '

"We will arrest Muthuraj soon," he had said. While a sub-inspector, Raghu Ganesh was held late Wednesday, three others, including inspector Sridhar were arrested on Thursday and all of them were remanded to judicial custody by a court here. Jeyaraj and his son Bennicks were arrested on June 19 for alleged violation of prohibitory orders in force due to COVID-19 lockdown by keeping their mobile phone shop at Sathankulam in Tuticorin district beyond the allowed time.

After being remanded to judicial custody by a magistrate next day, the two were lodged in the Kovilpatti sub-jail. They were admitted to a government hospital in Kovilpatti by jail authorities on June 22 and died in the space of a few hours. Their family has alleged that the two were severely beaten up in the police station, which was later corroborated by a woman head constable who told a magisterial probe that the other personnel kept thrashing the father and son throughout the night. In the backdrop of outrage against their deaths following alleged police brutality, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had on June 28 announced a CBI probe.

However, pending the central agency taking over the case, the Madras High Court directed the CB-CID to step in, fearing that evidence could be tampered with or removed.

PTI report