The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Charges filed in Vishnu murder case

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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Charges filed in Vishnu murder case

Staff Reporter

The eleven suspects are RSS workers

CPI(M) activist
V. Vishnu was
murdered on April 1
Vishnu was suspect in cases of attacks on RSS men

Thiruvananthapuram: The police have charge-sheeted 11 Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers in connection with the murder of Communist Party of India (Marxist) activist V. Vishnu in front of the Regional Passport Office at Kaithamukku on April 1, 2008.

The main suspects are T. Santosh, former chairman of M.G. College, “Kakotta” Manoj, R. Renjith, and “Pettah” Bose. The police are yet to arrest the key conspirator in the case, the owner of a car rental agency at Karickakam.

‘Revenge motive’

The police said the assailants were seeking revenge for the country-bomb attack on the RSS office at West Fort on the night of March 27. The police had named Vishnu as suspect in three cases relating to attacks on RSS men in 2001, including the attempt on the life of RSS leader Thirumala Hari.

The police said Vishnu had proven links with the underworld. The police had included him as witness in the murder of “Aprani” Krishnakumar after investigators found that his mobile phone had been used by Om Prakash, one of the main suspects in the gangland killing.

The police said Vishnu headed a group of CPI(M) workers who wielded much physical clout in the Vanchiyoor area. The group frequently assaulted RSS workers who came to the court to give evidence against Vishnu.

Armed assault

According to police, the 12 assailants armed with swords, machetes and crude bombs met at the office of the Temple Protection Council at Mithranandapuram on April 1 to kill Vishnu.

The assailants moved to Kaithamukku on six motorbikes when one of their men spotted Vishnu in front of the Passport Office. The assailants reached the spot at 10.15 a.m. and killed Vishnu. More than 500 people witnessed the murder. The police counted 32 injuries on Vishnu’s body.

The police received an early clue in the case when they learned a group travelling on motorcycles had quarrelled with an auto rickshaw driver at West Fort around 9.45 a.m.

They investigated Vishnu’s enemies, including alleged gang leader “Attingal” Ayyappan who is absconding. The police did not find any evidence linking the crime to the underworld.

Investigators collected the mobile telephone numbers of potential suspects and found that several of them had been missing from their neighbourhoods after the murder.

Calls traced

After analysing over 50,000 mobile phones calls, investigators found out that 15 mobile phones belonging to the suspects had been used in the area between 9.30 a.m. and 10.45 a.m. on April 1. The police filed the charge sheet 79 days after the main suspects were arrested.

City Police Commissioner Ravada Azad Chandrasekhar, Assistant Commissioners P. Reghunath and S. Sanal Kumar, Circle Inspectors V. Suresh Kumar and R. Mahesh and Assistant Sub-Inspector C. Mohan investigated the case.

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