TP Senkumar picks holes in actor assault probe

Thiruvananthapuram: State police chief Loknath Behera has decided to review the investigation into the actor sexual assault and abduction case following his predecessor T.P. Senkumar picking holes in the investigation.

In a directive to  ADGP (South-zone) B. Sandhya and others on Friday,  outgoing police chief  Senkumar said  that Crime Branch IG Dinendra Kashyap, who was heading the special investigation team constituted to probe  the actor's case, was totally ignorant of the fresh developments. He was referring to the 13-hour quizzing of actor Dileep and actor-director Nadirsha.

He directed that all steps with regard to the investigation should be taken jointly and no officer shall not take independent decision. A collective efforts was required and the intention should be to book the real culprits, he said.  

Reacting to it, Mr Behera told reporters that the probe would be reviewed. He  added that the special investigation team headed by Mr Kashyap was very efficient to probe the case. "I need to review the probe in the wake of the points raised by Senkumar.

I have full confidence in the team led by Kashyap. If required, more officials would be inducted into the team,"  Mr Behera told reporters soon after taking over as state police chief.

Mr Behera also said that he had received a petition from Dileep during his previous term as state police chief in April and forwarded it to Kashyap at once. “I believe that the team was probing into that also,” he said.

According to sources,  Mr Senkumar had inquired with Mr Kashyap the status of the probe in the wake of the quizzing of Dileep. But Mr Kashyap told him that he was not aware of the ongoing developments. Hence, Mr Senkumar directed ADGP Sandhya, Ernakulam-range IG P. Vijayan and Ernakulam rural district police chief A.V. George to ensure that the investigation was done with the knowledge of the special investigation team.