Tuticorin custodial killings: Four CBI officials probing case tested COVID-19 positive

Four CBI officials investigating Tuticorin custodial death case have been tested positive for coronavirus. The eight member CBI team headed by ASP Vijaykumar reached Madurai on July 8.

Chennai: Four of a CBI team probing alleged extrajudicial killing of a man and his son by Tamil Nadu police personnel in Tuticorin have tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

Seeing the public outcry on alleged police excesses resulting in the death of RP Jeyaraj and his son J Benniks, the agency had swung into action as soon as it received a reference from the Centre to proceed with its investigation and had dispatched a team from its special crime unit.

The eight-member CBI team headed by ASP Vijaykumar reached Madurai on July 8 and they were granted custodial interrogation of three arrested cops on July 20.

Meanwhile, Paul Durai one of the arrested cops in the case also tested positive corona.

It was alleged that the Jeyaraj and Bennicks were arrested by Sathankulam police for alleged violation of prohibitory orders in force due to COVID-19 lockdown by keeping their mobile phone shop open in the district beyond the allowed time.

They were taken to jail in the early hours of June 20 where Bennicks died on the same day, while Jeyaraj succumbed to injuries on June 23.

The CBI team reached the location and conducted several interviews with the witnesses and accused police personnel, they said.

It collected crucial forensic evidence and met a large number of people during the fieldwork, possibly exposing the members to the contagious pathogen, they said.

The agency is contemplating sending additional manpower for the probe, they said.

The ghastly manner in which father and son were allegedly beaten by police personnel had evoked a sharp response from civil society, movie industry and political parties, resulting in the recommendation of the CBI probe by the state government.