The Madras High Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) on Friday told the court that it has obtained certain vital clues in the 2012 brutal murder of K.N. Ramajeyam, brother of Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, and that it is expecting a breakthrough anytime.
State Public Prosecutor Hassan Mohammed Jinnah told Justice V. Bharathidasan that 198 witnesses had been examined so far and their statements recorded. An award of ₹50 lakh would be offered to those who provide credible information leading to the arrest of the accused.
The SPP submitted a sealed cover containing a status report on the investigation conducted so far. After perusing the report and expressing satisfaction over the probe conducted so far by the SIT, the judge adjourned the matter to June 10 for filing a further report on the investigation.
Ramajeyam’s body was found on the banks of the Cauvery at Kallanai Road in Tiruchi on March 29, 2012 after he left the house that day for a morning walk. Since the local police could not crack the case, it was transferred to the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) on June 12, 2012.
The CB-CID could not achieve a breakthrough even after five years. Hence, allowing a petition filed by Latha Ramajeyam, wife of the deceased, the High Court transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on November 7, 2017.
However, the CBI failed to crack the case and stated that it could not zero in on the motive or the accused because the case was handed over to it after six years by when the vital evidence had gone missing. Numerous political and business rivals to the deceased had widened the scope of the motive.
Lack of scientific evidences such as chance fingerprints and CCTV footage had compounded the issue making it a rare case that could not be solved despite best efforts, the CBI said. Hence, Justice Bharathidasan on February 9, constituted an SIT at the request of N. Ravichandran, another brother of the deceased.
The SIT was ordered to be headed by Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police Jayakumar and Director-General of Police Shakeel Akthar was directed to monitor the investigation.
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