Kerala HC directs Sajith to surrender before IO on Nov. 17

Kochi, Nov 10 (UNI) The Kerala high court today directed N S Sajith, a key absconding accused in the sensational Kanichkulangara murder case, to surrender before the investigating officer on November 17.

While disposing off Sajith's application for anticipatory bail, Justice J M James directed him to appear before Dy. Superintendent P A Johnson of the Crime Branch, Alappuzha, between 0930 and 1030 hrs.on November 17.

The court said that after interrogation, Sajith should be produced before the magistrate court, which can consider his bail application and whether custodial interrogation is necessary.

Addl. DGP Mohanan appeared for the police and opposed the anticipatory bail application on the ground that Sajith was one of the key accused in hatching the murder conspiracy and his custodial interrogation was necessary.

The ''highway murder'', which was staged to look like an accident, took place in July last year when a truck hit a Tata Safari vehicle and killed T G Ramesh, proprietor of the Kochi-based Everest Chit Funds, his sister and driver. Two others were injured.

The suspected murder was the result of a bitter rivalry between Everest and the Rs 400-crore Southern Himalaya group. It was revealed that Ramesh was a former employee of the Himalaya Group and was privy to its several secrets.

Sajith was a business partner in the Himalaya group.

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