Thiruvananthapuram: K Surendran, the president of the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is staring at more legal hassles over a poll-related offence.

A forensic report on Wednesday stated that the voice in the audio clip released by Janadhipathya Rashtriya Party (JRP) leader Praseetha Azhikode, in connection with the Sulthan Bathery election bribery case, was that of Surendran.

The report containing the findings has been handed over to the Crime Branch.

The audio clip suggests that Surendran had indeed offered bribe money to JRP leader C K Janu ahead of the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election.

All that remains to conclude the case is to recover data from one more phone.

The voice samples of K Surendran, C K Janu, main witness Praseetha Azhikode and BJP Wayanad district general secretary Prashant Malayavayal were collected for examination.

The voice examination was to ensure the authenticity of the audio clip.

A charge sheet will soon be filed against Surendran and Janu based on the forensic report. This is the second poll-related bribery case in which Surendran was roiled in the aftermath of the state polls.

The case

The police had registered a case against Surendran for allegedly bribing Janu to persuade her to contest the Assembly election from the Mananthavady seat.

Praseetha had deposed before the Wayanad Police that the BJP state president gifted Rs 10 lakh to Janu to facilitate her return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and contest the elections. Subsequently, a magistrate court in Wayanad directed the police to register a case against Surendran.

Praseetha had released a few audio clips which she claimed were records of conversations she had with Surendran on handing over Rs 10 lakh to Janu. One audio tape has a purported conversation with the BJP leader on an additional transaction of Rs 25 lakh to Janu.