Attempt to murder allegation: Crime Branch collects Saritha's blood samples

Thiruvananthapuram: The Crime Branch has collected blood samples of Solar case accused Saritha S Nair for forensic examination after she accused her former driver Vinu Kumar of attempting to murder her by spiking food with chemicals multiple times.

The samples will be sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, New Delhi, as there is no facility in Kerala for the same.

Saritha, who is suffering from a serious physical ailment, is currently under treatment at the Sree Chitra Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology here. Her left eyesight got weakened and her left leg movement was affected.

According to the FIR, Vinu Kumar conspired with the accused in the sexual harassment case earlier filed by her, to murder her with an eye on financial gains. In her statement, the complainant charged him with lacing her food with chemical substances, which could have even led to her death.

A case with charges under IPC Sec 307 (Murder Attempt), Sec 420 (Cheating), Sec 120(B) (Criminal Conspiracy), and Sec 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) was registered after completion of the primary probe.

Saritha said she got to know about the murder bid only when she sought treatment for her sudden physical ailments. An excessive presence of toxic heavy metals like arsenic, mercury, and lead was detected in her blood.

She claimed the attempts to eliminate her started way back in 2018. She doubted the presence of toxic materials upon experiencing physical ailments and body pain. But she restrained herself from lodging a case since she had no idea of the person behind the plot.

It was during a journey undertaken on January 3, 2022, that she understood that it was Vinu Kumar who laced her drinks after he mixed her juice with chemicals at a juice shop in Karamana, she said in her statement.

She then sought the opinion of the doctors and obtained a medical certificate, following which she filed a complaint with the Crime Branch.

The Crime Branch carried out a preliminary investigation and conducted a search at the house of Vinu Kumar. They also obtained information from the doctors who treated her and collected Kumar’s phone documents.

Saritha added she suspects the role of several others, besides Vinu Kumar, behind the murder conspiracy. She had given a statement to the investigating officers that the accused attempted to murder her with an eye on financial gains.