HC orders CB-CID probe into FIR filed against Kanchi businessman

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court had directed the Crime Branch and Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) of the Kancheepuram district to investigate a case booked against a Kancheepuram-based businessman to find out whether the FIR is reliable in nature or not.

Justice N Sathish Kumar passed the direction on disposing of a criminal original petition filed by Prabhu who is having his company in SIPCOT, Mambakkam. The petitioner wanted to quash the case booked against him by the Sriperumbudur police under filed Section 353 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act.

“The police had filed the FIR on charges that they had found and seized four cars carrying brandy bottles inside the premises of the petitioner on February 22. However, the contentions of the police are absolutely false, ” the petitioner’s counsel submitted. The petitioner had also submitted CCTV footage in this regard.

On scrutinising the CCTV videos, the judge observed that it appears that some persons in plain clothes have taken the cars said in the FIR themselves forcibly. “There is no trace of any brandy bottles whatsoever found, no trace of seizure as alleged by the FIR, ” the court held.

The judge further invoked Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code and directed the CBCID SP Kancheepuram to probe the matter properly.

“The CB-CID SP shall also seize all the footage to find out the veracity of the complaint. If during the investigation, he finds out that FIR is motivated and falsely filed, he will proceed against the persons who are instrumental in lodging the FIR and such investigation shall be completed within three months, ” the court ordered.

The judge also directed the CB-CID to examine the nature of the CCTV footage. “If the footage is tampered/manipulated, the IO can proceed against the petitioner for the offences charged, ” the court ordered.