Wayanad: The police on Saturday nabbed all 18 accused involved in the death of Sidharthan, a second-year degree student at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University campus in Pookode here. Sources close to the police department confirmed that all the accused including main accused Sinjo Johnson have landed in the police net. Manorama News reported that police nabbed the four absconding accused when they reached Kalpetta to move anticipatory bail plea in the court.
Though initial reports claimed that Kalpetta police nabbed Sinjo from Kollam, sources close to the probe team confirmed that he was caught from Kalpetta bus depot premises in the wee hours of Saturday.
The probe team had issued a lookout circular against four accused on Saturday. Kashinathan, another accused surrendered before the police on Saturday. Following Kashinathan's arrest, police nabbed Althaf from Kollam. Latest reports claimed that all four people named in the lookout notice including Soud Risan and Ajay Kumar were arrested.
Sinjo's arrest made headlines hours after the probe team issued a lookout circular (LOC) against four absconding accused in the case. Apart from Sinjo and Kasinathan, Soud Risal and Ajay Kumar are named in the LOC. These four people are among the 12 main accused who are booked for abetment suicide and wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, under the IPC and the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
As per the statement of Sidharthanan's father, Sinjo was the one who brutally tortured Sidharthan. Though the probe team nabbed 11 of the accused in the case, these four people have been reportedly absconding from police.
Police have booked 18 people including SFI activists in connection with the death of Sidharthan (20), a second-year student of the Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry. The Thiruvananthapuram native was found hanged inside a toilet of the university hostel on February 18. Though the police initially registered a case of unnatural death, Sidharthan's father filed a complaint alleging that his son was brutally tortured by SFI activists. Sidharthan's family alleged that the accused brutally tortured and killed him.
The university suspended 12 students over the death of Sidharthan as per the report of the anti-ragging committee. On Friday, the university debarred 19 students booked in the case from continuing their education in any registered institution in India for the next three years.
