Chief Judicial Magistrate S. Malarmathy on Saturday extended the CB-CID custody of S. Yuvaraj, the prime accused in the murder case of Dalit youth V. Gokulraj, till October 19.
After the five-day custody of Yuvaraj ended on Saturday, the CB-CID produced him in the court at 1.40 p.m. with his face covered. The CB-CID said that Gokulraj’s friend Swathi (20) of Paramathi Velur was a key witness in the case and they had recorded her statements recently.
As per her statement, Yuvaraj had snatched her mobile phone at Sri Arthanareeswarar Temple in Tiruchengode on June 23. Investigators said that the phone had to be recovered from Yuvaraj.
The prime accused had gone into the hiding after the murder for more than three months. As they had to take him to other States to locate the place where he stayed, the CB-CID sought five more days’ custody.
However, Yuvaraj’s lawyer R. Krishnan opposed the plea. After two adjournments, the magistrate granted additional two days of custody.
She also said that Yuvaraj should not be mentally and physically harassed and proper food should be provided to him. She asked the CB-CID officials to produce him in the court at 5.30 p.m. on Monday.
On June 23, Swathi had informed Gokulraj’s mother Chitra that a gang abducted Gokulraj from the temple in the morning. She told the police that that one of the unidentified men had asked Gokulraj to come with him as a person named Yuvaraj wanted to meet him.
