Sathankulam custodial death case: CB-CID arrests five police men

Chennai, July 02: In a major development, the CB-CID has arrested 5 policemen in connection with the Sathankulam Custodial death case. It may be recalled that Sathankulam traders, P Jeyraj and his son, J Beniks had died while in custody last week.

Suspended inspector, Srithar and sub-inspector Balakrishnan and constable Muthuraj were arrested on Thursday morning. SI Raghu Ganesh and head constable Murugan were arrested on Wednesday night.

Srithar was in charge of the Sathankulam police station at the time of the incident. The CB-CID had taken over the investigation on Wednesday and also altered the FIR that had been registered in connection with the case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

Ganesh was produced before the Thoothukudi Chief Judicial Magistrate S Hema in the early hours of Thursday after the doctors had certified him as fit. The CJM has remanded him to the Perurani district jail until July 16.

The arrests came a day after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the CB-CID to begin with the probe. The state government had transferred the case to the CBI, but the HC had feared that the evidence may be lost or tampered with by the time the central agency took over the case.

Jeyaraj (59) and his son J Benicks (31), were arrested on June 19 and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile phone shop in the Sathankulam main bazaar area open during a curfew imposed in wake of the coronavirus lockdown.

Jeyaraj and Benicks were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on June 23 morning.