Mavelikkara: Even as the Kerala government has set up a judicial commission to probe the custodial death of Rajkumar in a prison in Idukki, the fate of an inquiry report into another custodial death has come to light from Alappuzha district.

The government has not acted on a report submitted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Mavelikkara, Viveja Raveendran, who inquired the custodial death of MJ Jacob.

Jacob, who hails from Kumarakom in Kottayam district, was taken into custody and brought to Thiruvalla police station on the night of March 20 based on a complaint from Ramtirth Leasing Company in Mumbai.

According to the complaint, Jacob had siphoned off Rs 69.45 lakh in the name of non-existent patients. However, Jacob was found dead around 6 am the next day at cell number 11. The magistrate had submitted the report on May 10.

The police and jail officers claimed that Jacob had killed himself by inserting a handkerchief into his throat. However, the magistrate found that Jacob was strangled to death. He examined the injuries on Jacob's body and hand, contradictions in inmates’ statements and lapses from the part of the jail officers before preparing the report.

Unanswered questions

Questions are also being raised on a circle-inspector's visit the Mavelikara sub-jail before Jacob was admitted to his cell. The CI had reportedly interacted with another inmate.

Even after the forensic surgeon hinted that it could be a case of murder, why did the police not initiate a probe?

Did cops and prisoners join hands to carry out the brutal murder of Jacob?

The chief judicial magistrate had submitted his report on Jacob’s custody death with clear evidence on the conspiracy in the jail, unlawful intervention by the cops, and destruction of evidence.

17 leads that cops did not probe

• When was Jacob brought to the cell? Who took him to the cell? Who were the other inmates awake at the time? Where did Jacob sleep in the cell? Where was he found dead? Who slept next to Jacob? Who found him dead? These questions remained unanswered in the probe.

Was CCTV camera switched off?

• There are five CCTV cameras in the jail. Jacob was brought to the prison around 9.30pm on March 20. From 11.41pm till 12.04 am, the CCTV cameras were not operational. They again stopped working from 2.22am on March 21. Letters were sent on March 19 and March 21, claiming that the CCTV were damaged. Both letters had the same handwriting, triggering suspicion. The Keltron found out that the CCTV cameras were not malfunctioning.

Bite marks on prisoners' hands?

• Bite marks have been discovered on the fingers of prisoners Manu S Nair and Suneesh. While Suneesh said it was due to smoking bidis, Manu claimed his skin had toughened due to labour, as per the report. When further grilled, they became uneasy. After medical examination, the doctor confirmed that someone had bitten on their hands. It is suspected that Jacob might have bitten during the scuffle.

Where did the handkerchief come from?

• Assistant prison officer Sujith had given a statement that he had taken the handkerchief from Jacob’s pocket during the checks. There are CCTV images of Jacob being frisked when he was admitted to the prison. However, it does not show Sujith taking the handkerchief.

Who inserted the handkerchief?

• The police surgeon confirmed that Jacob's implanted teeth in the lower jaw had been dislodged. It was suspected that the teeth might have been dislocated while someone forcefully tried to insert the handkerchief.

Why did CI turn up to meet Manu?

• The circle inspector on February 23 met Manu, who was brought to the jail on February 1. The cop visited him again after Jacob's death. However, the second meeting does not find a mention in the jail register. Both of them are from the same native place and hence the cop paid a visit, was the explanation given. Manu was later shifted to cell number 11.