Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch team probing the death of violinist Balabhaskar will record the secret statements of selected witnesses before a magistrate.
A decision on conducting polygram test will be taken only after the report of the forensic lab on the inspection conducted on the accident site is received.
The statement of witnesses under section 164 of the penal code is recorded for deterring them from changing their versions and to get over the immunity from prosecution on the information given by the witnesses under section 162 of the code. This will also minimise the chance of changing the versions by the witnesses under fear of being involved in perjury.
The statement will be taken before the magistrate as contradictory statements were given by various witnesses earlier.
Balabhaskar’s wife Lekshmy had stated that it was driver Arjun who drove the car from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram on the day when the accident happened. However, Arjun told police that Balabhaskar was driving it. Three youths at the juice shop in Kollam, where Balabhaskar had stopped for refreshment, said that Arjun was driving the car. It was contrary to the statement by Aji, a KSRTC driver who is the main witness in the case. He told the police that it was Balabhaskar who drove the car.
As per the youths, they had seen a youth wearing green shirt and bermuda at the driver’s seat of the Innova car.
He came out to buy juice and gave it to Balabhaskar who was sitting on the back seat. Both of them shared the juice. The three youths were on their way back home from Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Earlier, Nandu who was on the spot at the time of the accident, gave the statement that the car was driven by Arjun and that Balabhaskar was found lying unconscious on the back seat.
