Thiruvananthapuram: Five persons, including Mangalam TV chief executive officer R. Ajith Kumar, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the honey-trapping of former minister A.K. Saseendran. Co-ordinating editor M.B. Santosh, investigation team leader K. Jayachandran alias S. Narayanan, news editors and readers Firoz Saly Mohammed and S. V. Pradeep were the others arrested after day-long quizzing. They will be produced before court on Wednesday, police sources said.
The channel chairman Sajan Varghese, news coordinator Rishi K Manoj, news editor Manjith Varma and reader Lekhsmi Mohan were the others quizzed by the investigation team. They were later released. The woman who made the conversation with Mr Saseendran did not appear citing medical reasons, said sources. The investigation team also recorded the statement of journalist Al Neema who resigned from the channel expressing differences with the honey-trapping operation. Sources said that the accused were quizzed separately by IG Dinendra Kashyap and other team members to unravel any conspiracy involved.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ajith Kumar lodged a petition with the Museum police on Monday evening that a laptop computer and mobile phone were stolen from his car while it was parked along the Vellayambalam - Sasthamangalam stretch. The museum police said that a case could not be registered on the matter as the petitioner's statement could not be recorded to get the exact details. The SIT suspects that it was an attempt to destroy the evidence in the case. “Since the channel had aired the audio conversation and even uploaded it on the social media, there are enough pieces of evidence.” “Moreover, Mr. Ajith Kumar even owned up the audio in his apology statement," police sources said.
