Five CPI(M) workers, who were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Periye twin murder case on Wednesday, were remanded in judicial custody till December 15.
The agency has arraigned former Uduma legislator and CPI(M) Kasaragod district secretariat member K.V. Kunhiraman and CPI(M) workers Raghavan Velutholi, Bhaskaran, Gopal Velutholi and Sandeep Velutholi as the other accused. However, they have not been arrested.
Kunhiraman, Raghavan Velutholi and Bhaskaran were accused of forcefully taking Saji George, the second accused, from police custody.
Wives of Periye case accused given jobs against rules: Youth Congress
Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ernakulam, R. Mini remanded Surendran, Madhu, Regi Varghese, Hariprasad and Raju to custody.
According to the remand report, Surendran informed the first accused Peethambaran about the movement of Sarathlal and Kripesh, Youth Congress workers, who were killed on February 17, 2009. The information thus shared resulted in the attack and killing of the duo. Surendran had also actively participated in the conspiracy for murder, the CBI said.
While Madhu and Reji Varghese participated in conspiracy nnd facilitated the murder, Reji supplied the iron rods for the attack.
Hari Prasad, an active CPIM worker, actively participated in the conspiracy for murder and went into hiding after the incident. He had brought his car for transporting the accused. Prasad is presently working as clerk at Periye society controlled by the CPI(M). Raju, the secretary of Echladukkam branch of the CPI(M), had also actively participated in conspiracy for murder and felicitated the murder, the agency submitted.
All the accused persons were involved in the criminal conspiracy to commit the murder. They had supplied weapons for the murder and provided the logistic assistance for commission of the offence. The arrested were the members of CPI (M). The accused wielded high influence in society due to their political affiliation. If released on bail, they may influence the witnesses and tamper with the evidence, submitted Mr. Ananthakrishnan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, CBI.
Gopakumar provided all the logistical assistance to the hit team. He also provided clothes and shelter to them. One of the accused stayed in his house on the night in which the two youths were murdered. He and Sandeep, another accused, dropped some of the accused in the case at an office of the CPI(M). He was also involved in the disappearance of evidence, according to the CBI.
Besides getting involved in burning the dresses of the hit team and causing the disappearance of evidence, Sandeep had also arranged the travel of Subeesh, another accused, to UAE through Bangalore.
