One of the key witnesses in the Paul Muthoot murder case, Manu, recorded his statement before the Alappuzha Second Judicial First Class Magistrate Court here on Thursday.
The statement was recorded following a police application requesting such a step since Manu had changed his statements before the police on various occasions. The procedures took over two hours and Manu, who arrived from Thiruvananthapuram along with his advocates, refused to speak to the media while leaving the court premises.
Meanwhile, the Ramankary Judicial Magistrate Subitha Chirakal onThursday released a production warrant allowing police custody of known offenders, Om Prakash and Rajesh Puthenpalam, till Monday. The warrant was released after the police submitted an application requesting for the custody of the two, who are at present 15th and 16th accused in the case, for questioning.
Police sources said the warrant would be produced in the Thiruvananthapuram District Court for the release of the two into police custody. They will be produced before the Ramankary Judicial Magistrate on Monday after questioning.
In other developments, the bail application of Kaari Satheesh, who is accused of stabbing Paul, was heard by the Ramankary court on Thursday. The judgement was reserved for Monday, when the bail applications of the other accused in the case too will be heard.
Satheesh’s lawyer B. Shivadas said in a statement here that the bail application accused the police of implicating Satheesh in the case by planting false evidence, hiding the truth and attempting to protect the real culprits who had political clout and money power.
The hearing on the anticipatory bail application submitted in the Alappuzha Sessions Court by blacksmith Prasad was also posted to Monday.
