Vigilance files report citing serious lapses in murder case

Thiruvananthapuram: The Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau has submitted a report to the Kerala government citing serious lapses in the police probe into the murder of a Dalit woman at Perumbavoor on April 28 last year.

The 16-page report, submitted in January this year by Vigilance director Jacob Thomas, questions the credibility of the probe by the Special Investigation Team headed by ADGP Sandaya, appointed by the ruling LDF and the SIT headed by K Padmakumar, during the tenure of the previous government.

Vigilance sources said the report also states that the probe conducted so far was not in the 'right direction' and there were serious lapses in scientific collection of evidence and that the proof would not stand legal scrutiny in court.

The investigation team had submitted a 1500 page charge sheet in the case in which Assam native Ameerul Islam was the sole accused.

He was arrested in June.

According to the charge sheet, the victim, who was a law student, was murdered after the accused tried to rape her at her residence.

Police had conducted six scientific tests, collected 75 pieces of material evidence, 125 documents and taken the statements of around 105 witnesses.

The report, prepared following a complaint to the Anti corruption watchdog that the investigation was not in the proper direction, was handed over to the Home Secretary, who in turn had forwarded it to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and DGP Loknath Behara.

The report has come out at a time when the trial in the case began two weeks ago.