Kochi: The revelations made by Biju Ramesh before the Crime Branch on October 30, a day before the government ordered a further probe into Swami Saswathikananda's death, have come to light.
Biju deposed that Priyan, the alleged killer, himself had told him that he had killed Saswathikananda as per the directive of SNDP chief Vellappally Natesan.
Biju made the revelations in a confidential statement recorded by Crime Branch SP K. Madhu, the investigating officer in the case. In the statement accessed by Deccan Chronicle, Biju also stated that Saswathikananda's aide Sabu added insulin to the milk which the Swami consumed just before he went to take a bath.
“Priyan while staying at Hotel Pallava made a call to my office number and expressed his desire to meet me. When I told him that I was busy, Priyan said that he did not want to serve another jail term and asked me not to harass him,” Biju said. “I will be in trouble if the police investigate the matter, and so you should not demand a further probe,” said Priyan, according to Biju.
Biju has also revealed the names of two jail wardens, Suresh and Shyam to whom Priyan deposed that he had killed Saswathikananda.
Quoting DySP Shaji, a convict in the Praveen murder case, Biju stated that Vellappallly also gave Rs 10 lakh to Priyan by arranging a counsel (advocate Raman Pillai) in the Praveen murder case.
It was Praveen who allegedly dropped Priyan at Aluva on the fateful day. Shaji wrote a letter to Biju Ramesh seeking financial help for filing an appeal before the Supreme Court, the statement said.
According to Biju, Suresh, former warden at Thiruvananthapuram central prison and his wife Dolly visited him and revealed that Priyan had told Shyam, another warden, about the killing of Saswathikananda.
At that time, Shyam's wife was working as a lab assistant at the engineering college run by Biju, the statement said. Suresh's wife was also a former office staff of Biju Ramesh.
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