The High Court on Friday issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a petition seeking a probe by the agency into the murder of a Latvian national in the capital.
The body of the woman, who had come to the State for Ayurveda treatment, was found in a mangrove forest at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram. She had gone missing from March 14.
Plea filed by Irish man
The petition for CBI probe was filed by Andrew Jordan, a native of Ireland. He pointed out that two persons were arraigned as accused by the police. In fact, the duo had retracted their confessional statements and submitted before the court that they had been tortured and forced to give statements by the police.
He alleged that the probe team had hastily cremated the woman’s body despite an order of the State Human Rights Commission. The body was cremated at the instance of the probe team to destroy evidence of murder, he said.
She was murdered by persons who had influence at higher levels. The police conducted the probe in such a way as to exonerate these persons. Though the petitioner had filed a complaint before the Chief Minister seeking to entrust the investigation with the CBI, no action had been taken.
