Kochi: Malayalam actor Dileep and other accused in the conspiracy case submitted their mobile phones to the Registrar General of Kerala High Court on Monday as per the directions of the court.
Dileep's counsel had confirmed on Sunday that six mobile phones belonging to the actor and other accused will be submitted in the court.
Three phones of Dileep, two of his brother P Sivakumar (Anoop) and one used by brother-in-law T N Suraj reached Kochi on Sunday evening from Mumbai, where they were sent for forensic analysis by the actor.
The High Court had on Saturday had asked Dileep and others to produce before the Registrar General their mobile phones on a plea by the Crime Branch in a case against him and five others for allegedly conspiring against officers probing the sexual assault of an actress in 2017.
Justice Gopinath P had asked the accused to hand over the phones in a sealed box by 10.15 am on January 31.
The probe agency had said that though it has ample power to seize the mobile phones that were concealed and removed by the accused, the Crime Branch "felt it appropriate" that the matter be brought to the notice of the High Court.
"It appears that the petitioners have purposefully removed their mobile phones and attempted to conceal and thereby destroy the evidence under the pretext of sending it to examination," the Crime Branch had told the court.
Dileep's counsel had argued that witch hunting was happening in the name of investigation and handing over the phones would amount to violation of his privacy.
Move on to track Dileep's fourth phone
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch special team has intensified its drive to find out the fourth phone in Dileep's possession. They have sought the help of Cyberdome for the same. The inquiry team's assessment is that this particular phone which Dileep is trying to conceal contains crucial evidence relevant to the case.
When the police cross-checked the call data records (CDR) of certain phone calls it was found that Dileep was using four mobile phones. The police received a statement from a witness that Dileep's driver kept this fourth phone.
The police are mainly resting all its hopes on an inquiry based on the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of the mobile phone. In order to check the veracity of Dileep's affidavit, the best scientific method is to examine this IMEI number. The court will accept the arguments of the prosecution if it manages to produce the CDR and a witness statement, proving that Dileep had called someone using the SIM card in the mobile phone.
The Crime Branch found that Dileep, Anoop and Suraj had abandoned seven mobile phones after director Balachandrakumar's revelations against them. The inquiry team are of the firm view that the three accused started using new mobile phones since the old phones contained a slew of evidence related to the conspiracy case.
