Certain officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation tried to protect IPS officers accused in the Sampath custody death case, said K.K. Rajan, inspector suspended from the CBI.
Officers in the CBI investigation team were offered money to exonerate the IPS officers. There were also attempts to remove Rajan and another officer Unnikrishnan Nair from the CBI investigating team headed by officer Haridath, Rajan said in a statement before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here on Thursday.
Rajan and Unnikrishnan have been arraigned as accused in the death of P.G. Haridath, the first investigating officer of the Sampath custodial death case. Both officers were named in a note by Haridath after he allegedly committed suicide in March 2012.
Rajan said in his statement before the court that certain senior CBI officials were aware of their juniors’ attempts to manipulate the investigation of the custodial death.
Sampath, accused in the murder of Puthur Sheela, was allegedly tortured in police custody in Palakkad, following which he died. The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court had earlier rejected the supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI in the case as it excluded the names of IPS officers ADGP Muhammad Yasin and DIG Vijay Sakhare.
