On a day the CBI registered FIRs in connection with the custodial deaths of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks, the CB-CID arrested five more policemen, including a special sub-inspector, on Wednesday. The CB-CID is investigating the case as an interim arrangement on the directions of the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench).
Those arrested were special sub-inspector Pauldurai and constables Chelladurai, Saamadurai, Veyilumuthu and Francis Thomas. With this, the number of policemen arrested in the case has gone up to 10.
The SSI and the constables were taken to the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital for mandatory health screening before being produced in front of the judicial magistrate.
CB-CID sources said the five had held Jayaraj and Benicks while the other accused beat them up inside the Sattankulam police station last month. The CB-CID had on Tuesday night picked up 10 policemen and four members of the Friends of Police for interrogation.
Inspector General of Police, CB-CID, K. Shankar, who is monitoring the investigation, came to the CB-CID office, near the district police office, on Wednesday evening after grilling the policemen overnight along with Superintendents of Police Vijayakumar and Madasamy. The arrest was announced late in the night.
