Kochi: A magistrate court on Wednesday sent G.S. Deepak, former Varappuzha sub-inspector and an accused in the custodial death case, to the custody of the Crime Branch for five days.
The North Paravur first class judicial magistrate court accepted the argument of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that his custody is needed for detailed interrogation in the light of new revelations by co-accused of S.R. Sreejith, who died due to alleged custodial torture.
The SIT had charged in the remand report that Deepak was on leave when the youth Sreejith was taken to custody on the night of April 6. However, he came to the the police station past midnight and "assaulted" the youth, a native of Devaswompadom.
Eight others arrested along with Sreejith in the house attack case, too claimed that the police officer assaulted all of them separately in jail and that Deepak kicked Sreejith in the stomach despite the latter pleading to take him to a hospital.
The SIT started recorded the statements of the co-accused of Sreejith afresh in the wake of the new revelations made to the media. "Though they had given statement against the SI earlier, they hadn't mentioned many of the detailed charges that the youth was pleading for taking him to the hospital," sources said.
The court had earlier rejected the bail application moved by the SI.
Meanwhile, Sreejith's family lodged a complaint after they received a threat letter the other day. The letter, which threatens the family to withdraw from the custodial torture case, also warns them to be wary of police torture methods.
The letter makes reference to a few police officials working under the Thiruvanathapuram rural SP and asks the family to inquire about them at Thiruvanathapuram.
