The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Abhaya case: CBI questions FSL Director

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Tuesday, Jun 30, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Abhaya case: CBI questions FSL Director

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: A team of officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation are in Bangalore to question Director B.M. Mohan and Former Assistant Director S. Malini of Forensic Science Laboratory regarding the narco analysis conducted on three accused in the Sister Abhaya murder case of Kerala.

The team of CBI officers, led by CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police Nandakumar Nair, questioned the officers of the FSL, who have been accused of editing and manipulating the compact discs pertaining to the narco analysis done in the murder case. Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate K.A. Baby on Thursday gave 10 days for the CBI to question all those concerned in the FSL and retrieve the original CDs.

The case relates to the murder of Sister Abhaya, whose body was found in the well of the Pious 10th Convent Hostel in Kottayam in 1992.

Following an investigation, the CBI charged Fr. Thomas Kottoor, Fr. Jose Puthrikayil and Sister Sephy with involvement in the murder. The three were later subjected to narco analysis in the FSL, which was conducted by Ms. Malini.

Following allegations that the CD containing the narco analysis was tampered with, the FSL submitted to the court three CDs which it claimed were the originals. The Magistrate directed the Thiruvananthapuram-based Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) to ascertain the authenticity of the three CDs. In its report submitted on June 22, the C-DIT pointed that the three CDs were also edited and manipulated.

The CBI officers, who are coming to the city for the second time in this connection, will be looking for the original videotape in which the recording of narco analysis has been made.

Usually the video recordings done in two government hospitals here are brought to the FSL’s psychology department, where they are downloaded into the computer.

They are then transferred on to CDs and then given to the investigation agencies.

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