THRISSUR: The police team investigating the case of unnatural death of Kalabhavan Mani has not yet confirmed reports of finding methanol in his blood.
Investigating officers told DC that the forensic and scientific assistants of the police department, who on Monday inspected the actor’s outhouse ‘Paadi’ situated on the banks of Chalakudy River near his residence, have collected several empty bottles of liquor and beer for testing.
“When we spoke to the doctors, they said that the preliminary report of his blood samples would arrive on Tuesday and only then the presence of methanol could be confirmed,” DySP K. S. Sudarsan heading the investigating team said.
He also said the actor was suffering from an advanced stage of cirrhosis and doctors had strictly warned him against liquor consumption.
But the investigating officer said that of late, he was drinking too much.
His friends told police that even though he did not take hard liquor, he was in a habit of guzzling bottles of beer.
“After getting confirmation on the methanol content in the blood that angle will be probed,” the DySP said. Meanwhile, cops have taken statements of actor Jaffer Idukki and a helper at the outhouse where he often conducted get-togethers with his friend serving liquor.
Police said Jaffer, who was in Chalakkudy for a shoot, had visited there Friday evening. Assistant professor P. A. Sheeju, who conducted the autopsy, said there were signs of jaundice and presence of ethanol could be confirmed after getting the toxicology report of the blood, viscera, kidneys and liver, sent to Regional Analytical Laboratory in Kakkanad. Normally it takes a month.
