Kerala - Alappuzha   

Cellular evidence came in handy

Convicted: Himalaya Group managing director and the sixth accused in the Kanichukulangara triple murder case N. Sajith arrives at the Alappuzha District and Sessions Court on Thursday; (right) managing director and the seventh accused K.M. Binish after he was convicted.

ALAPPUZHA: A cellular tower of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited at Kalarkode, south of Alappuzha town, and mobile phone call details have played a major role in helping the prosecution prove the involvement of Himalaya Group managing directors N. Sajith and K.M. Binish in the sensational Kanichukulangara triple murder case.

According to special public prosecutor K.M. Rajagopala Pillai, who led the prosecution in the case, establishing the involvement of Unni, Ajithkumar, ‘Mrigam’ Saju and Shibi, the first four in the accused list, was not that tough with the help of circumstantial evidence.

However, to prove that these people were hired by Sajith and Binish was the toughest part of the entire process. Moreover, a key witness, Suresh, who had seen Sajith and Binish conspiring with the other four on the Cherai beach hours before the ‘accident’ on July 20, 2005, turned hostile. Two more key witnesses, Ponga toddy shop manager Krishnankutty and supplier Binu too turned hostile.

Their change of stance was crucial because it was to this toddy shop that the first four accused had gone immediately after the ‘accident’ and made calls to Sajith and Binish to inform them that the “job was done.”

“That is where the mobile tower and the mobile phone call details came in handy. First, the signal details gathered from the BSNL tower at Kalarkode, under the limits of which the Ponga area falls in, confirmed that the accused had gone directly to Ponga after the ‘accident’ at 1.45 p.m. This proved to the court that Krishnankutty and Binu had indeed gone back on their actual statements to the police,” Mr. Rajagopala Pillai told reporters after the judgment, that nine of the accused were guilty in the case, was pronounced at the District and Sessions Court here.

“Secondly, the call details from the mobile phone numbers of Sajith and Binish and the other four, immediately after the ‘accident’ and before that too, proved that all these people were connected,” Assistant Public Prosecutor Sunil Maheswaran Pillai said.

B. Raman Pillai, J. Jose, B. Shivadas, R. Rejith, G. Priyadarshan Thampy and S. Ganeshkumar appeared for the accused in the case.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Couple killed in road accident
Benchmark price to be fixed for vegetables soon: Isaac
Cellular evidence came in handy
Kudumbasree has a role to play: Isaac

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu