A Karnataka police team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police S. Jahnavi recorded the statement of K.P. Aswathy, the victim in the Kalaburagi ragging case, on Monday.
The DSP spent nearly five hours with the girl to get a detailed statement.
A home guard was deputed to assist the officer to translate her questions posed in Hindi into Malayalam for Aswathy. The girl stood by her earlier statements that she was severely ragged by her senior students and forced to drink toilet cleaner, police sources said.
The recording of the statement was done slowly as the victim experienced breathing problems. The officer also met her parents and relatives to get their statements.
4th accused absconding
Meanwhile, the fourth accused in the case was absconding, police in Kottayam said.
Police from Karnataka, accompanied by women civil police officers from Kozhikode, who had arrived here on Sunday, visited the residence of the fourth accused Shilpa C. Jose at Chamakkala, near Ettumanur, on Monday.
However, the house was locked and they were told that the accused along with her parents had moved to a relative’s premises.
“We will pick her up soon,” said a senior police officer in Kalaburagi.
Meanwhile, DSP Jahnavi, the investigating officer, and Circle Inspector Shankargouda Patil who visited Kozhikode Medical College Hospital inquired about the injury caused due to the consumption of the toilet cleaner.
Police sources said Aswathy had not informed her mother, Janaki, about the incident after her return to Kerala on May 15.
In a statement to Karnataka police Ms. Janaki said Aswathy had not revealed to her or the doctors, the incident or consumption of toilet cleaner.
It was only after an endoscopy at Kozhikode Medical College that the episode came to light.
The doctors informed police who registered the FIR on ragging and consumption of toilet cleaner.
In Kalaburagi city, the three nursing students, Krishna Priya, Athira and Lakshmi who were arrested on charges of ragging, attempt to murder and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, moved bail before the JMFC II court. The bail applications will come up on June 29.
