Mavelikkara: The probe into the death of fraud-accused M J Jacob in Mavelikkara sub-jail is gathering pace. DIG S Santhosh Kumar, who is heading the probe, has collected evidence from the prison located in Kerala's Alappuzha district. The probe report has to be submitted within a week.
Kumarakom native Jacob was found dead in the jail on March 20. It is suspected that the 68-year-old was suffocated to death with a handkerchief inserted in his mouth.
On Monday, the DIG seized the CCTV images of the day Jacob died and collected jail documents.
The DIG said he would take the statements of those police personnel and medical officers who were mentioned in the magistrate's report.
The senior cop took the statements of four prisoners who were in the cell when Jacob died. The statements of those who have left would be taken later.
An officer, who was transferred, has been summoned for questioning.
The DIG spent more than three hours at the jail, collecting evidence. His probe is mainly focussing on the problems pointed out by the jail DGP. He would also investigate if shortcomings in the jail's functioning or security system.
The DIG had viewed the CCTV images during the earlier investigation. He seized the images on Monday for detailed investigation.
Two technical experts from the Keltron, an electronics company, had thrice visited the jail and carried out checks after a report claimed that the CCTV did not function for 24 minutes on the fateful day. This could have been an accident, the tech experts said in their report. However, the authorities are now taking this malfunctioning as a serious issue in the current scenario with lapses pointed out in the jail’s functioning.
Jacob was running a healthcare centre at Eraviperoor in Pathanamthitta. A case was filed against Jacob and his aide Ajith on the complaint of a Mumbai-based company. It is alleged that the duo had forged documents of patients who did not seek treatment at hospitals and siphoned off Rs 69.45 lakh.
