Cops get 10-day custody of SSI killers

 Amidst tight security, the two accused, Y. Thoufeeq (27) of Kottar, Nagercoil, and A. Abdul Sameem (29) of Thiruvithancode, Kanniyakumari district, were produced before Judge S. Arulmurugan.

These accused allegedly gunned down the Sub-Inspector while on duty at Kaliyakkavilai check-post on Market road in the night of January 8. Udupi District police, Karnataka, nabbed those two accused on January 14 and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kanniyakumari District Crime Branch, KP Ganesan, who’s the investigation officer, took custody of the duo on January 15 and produced them before Kuzhithurai Judicial Magistrate on January 16 after interrogating them.

Based on information by R Ragu Balaji, Kaliyakkavilai Sub Inspector of Police, the Kaliyakkavilai police filed a case under Sections 302 and 506 (ii) of the IPC read with 7 of  25 (1A) and 25 (1) (b) of the Arms Act, 1959. Later, the police invoked other Sections of the IPC and also under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

The District Crime Branch DSP and the petitioner sought 28 days of custody of the two accused. The petitioner stated that the Sub-Inspector was murdered by the duo by using weapons such as gun and knife. The weapons, which are absolutely necessary for proper investigation in the case, are yet to be recovered. Apart from this, the police need to find out background of the accused and others who helped them commit such grave offence. Hence, custodial interrogation by the police is in view of nature and circumstances of the case, the DSP said.

After hearing, the judge granted 10 days’ custody of the two accused with several conditions that they should be under personal custody and responsibility of the investigation officer, who was also directed to produce the accused with medical certificate at 4 pm on January 31.

Police on Tuesday detained five persons under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly having ‘links’ with two suspected Islamic extremists, who gunned down 57-year-old Special Sub-Inspector of Police Y Wilson on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala inter-State border check-post here on January 8.The police said S Mohamed Zackariah (37), Al Habeeb (31), A Abdul Khader (31), M Mohamed Ismail alias Meshak and M Syed Khaja Kareem Nawaz, all hailing from different localities in Tirunelveli district, were in touch with terror suspects A Abdul Shameem (32) and M Thoufeeq (28) and had discussions with them after the gunning down the police officer. When the police special teams were searching for the assailants, the investigations led the police teams to Vickramasingampuram, Tenkasi and Pettai localities.