The investigation into the Nedumbassery car crash that killed three people moved forward on Thursday, with police taking key accused Suhail Sajeev, 19, to the accident site on the airport road for evidence collection.
Sajeev remained inside the police vehicle during the exercise, according to the report, apparently to avoid a possible public backlash. Police later took him to the Courtyard by Marriott in Nedumbassery, one of three bars that he and the other accused reportedly visited before the crash.
The evidence-collection exercise was conducted after the state government handed over the investigation to Aluva deputy superintendent of police Baiju Paulose on Wednesday. The transfer places the case under a designated senior police officer as investigators examine the circumstances leading to the fatal collision.
Police said all four accused were returned to judicial custody by 5pm on Thursday after the one-day police custody period ended. The report did not provide further details about the evidence collected at the accident site or the hotel.
The prosecution had sought custodial interrogation to examine the possibility of a conspiracy or prior enmity behind the incident. Those possibilities remain part of the investigation and have not been established as facts.
The case has also prompted steps involving prosecution and family grievances. Home minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Wednesday that the government was prepared to appoint a special public prosecutor. The move, if made, would give the case a designated prosecutorial arrangement as it proceeds through the criminal justice system.
R Nishanthini, inspector general of police for the south zone, has been entrusted with hearing the complaints and concerns of the victims’ families. Her role is intended to provide an avenue for the families to place their grievances before a senior police authority while the investigation continues.
The police visit to the airport road and the reported visit to one of the bars form part of the evidence-gathering process. The investigation will now proceed under the supervision of Aluva DSP Baiju Paulose, while the government considers the appointment of a special public prosecutor.
