A witness in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case told the trial court here on Tuesday that he had seen K.P. Dipin, (accused 29) at the Orkatteri - Eramala road and the Toyota Innova vehicle used by assailants at around 10.30 p.m. on May 4, 2012.
Deposing before R. Narayana Pisharadi, special judge, Special Additional District and Sessions Court (Marad cases), the witness, K. Babu, said he saw Dipin having tea at a hotel at Orkkateri.
Soon after, a vehicle came near Dipin as he was walking along the road and he got into it. This could have been immediately after the murder of the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader.
The case related to a seven-member hired gang hacking to death Chandrasekharan at Onchiyam on May 4, 2012. The Innova vehicle was used by the assailants then.
The witness said he had noted the number of the vehicle at the time in the brightness of streetlight. He also spotted that the Innova car had two stickers in Arabic “ Masha Allah” pasted on the front and rear glasses.
The next day he came to know through television reports that it was the same Innova car that he had been seen at night a day before. However, after reaching the Edacherry police station, where the vehicle was kept in custody, he found that the registration number had been changed. Mr. Babu said he had been in the Gulf for some time and he could easily identify Arabic. He also identified Dipin after he was arrested by the police.
On the day Chandrasekharan was killed, he had talked to him in front of a paint shop at Orkatteri town.
During cross examination, he said his son was named accused in attacking a flower shop owned by M.K. Ravindran alias Padayankandi Ravindran (accused 30 in Chandrasekharan murder case), a member of the Orkkatteri local committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). However, his son was not an activist of the RMP, Mr. Babu said.
The witness also identified the Innova car and Dipin in the court. Dipin was charged with identifying Chandrasekharan for the seven-member gang. He had passed on the whereabouts of Chandrasekharan to the third accused N.K. Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni through his mobile phone, according to the prosecution.
Special public prosecutor P. Kumarankutty examined the witness while defence counsel B. Raman Pillai cross examined him.
