‘More persons involved in rector murder’

City police had questioned more than 2,000 people

Even though the city police on Friday claimed to have cracked the murder case of Fr. K J Thomas, rector of St Peter’s Pontifical Seminary in Malleswaram, with the arrest of three persons, City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar said that eight to 10 more persons were suspects in the case.

During investigations, the police questioned more than 2,000 people and analysed a large volume of mobile call data. Mr. Auradkar said he himself quizzed a couple of suspects.

Narco analysis

Also, five persons were subjected to narco analysis and brain mapping tests at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Ahmedabad with their consent, the police said.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Pranab Mohanty said a breakthrough in the investigation was achieved through the narco analysis test, after which the police zeroed in on Fr. Ilyas, who heads the St. Peter’s Seminary in Gulbarga, who later spilled the beans about the plot and the persons involved in the case.

Fr. William Patrick and his associate Peter were also arrested.

The three arrested are among the five, who underwent the narco analysis test.

“When they were subjected to detailed interrogation, they confessed to the crime,” Mr. Mohanty claimed.

Motive

After they were alerted by Fr. Patrick Xavier, who was also present in the seminary on the fateful night, the police began investigations from various angles to find out the motive — whether the murder was for gain or out of personal enmity.

Fingerprints taken from the spot were matched with the fingerprint data base of known offenders in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Pondicherry, but to no avail.

Clean chit

Fr. Patrick Xavier, who was initially a suspect, has now been given a clean chit, said Mr. Mohanty.

Meanwhile, forensic expert Professor P Chandra Sekharan, who has been a vocal critic of use of narco analysis in any investigation, said no investigation could be concluded with the use of narco analysis.

He said the technique was banned by the Supreme Court on May 5, 2010. However, certain exceptions were made on the condition that the person made to undergo the test must give his consent prior to the test.

“It is not at all difficult for the police to obtain the consent in such situations. The narco test results become a handle for the police to build up a case only in that direction. The results cannot be used as evidence in court." he said.