Two days after the dead body of 23-year-old Kevin Joseph was found from the Chaliyekkara canal, proof has emerged that not only did the police ignore Kevin’s wife’s and family’s compliant, but they were perhaps complicit in the crime.
Kevin Joseph, a Dalit Christian, who had married Neenu, a native of Kollam was abducted by her brother and a gang of 12 men in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Kevin’s dead body was found floating in the canal on Monday morning and by then his family had told the media that Gandhi Nagar police had ignored their complaint.
But a phone conversation leaked by police sources reveal that the police also had prior knowledge about Kevin’s abduction and instead of tracking down the abductors, the police promised them help. A report by Central Zone IG Vijay Sakhare to the DGP says that assistant sub inspector Biju was aware of the kidnapping. It also says that both Sub inspector MS Shibu and Biju had committed serious lapses in the investigation. The conversation between main accused Shanu Chacko, who is Neenu’s brother and a policeman, now believed to be ASI Biju, is reported to have happened a few hours after the kidnapping.
According to Kevin's friend Aneesh who was kidnapped along with him, the call may have been a set up after the gang realised that Kevin will not survive their assault.
The conversation goes like this:
Shanu: “Sir, we will put him [Aneesh] in a taxi and send him back. The other one [Kevin], escaped from our custody. He must have reached Kottayam by now.
Cop: At which point did he [Kevin] escape?
Shanu: He ran away at some point I don’t know where. I was in a different vehicle. I don’t want to get in trouble and jeopardize my future. We just want our child [Neenu] back. I have a request to you, sir. What we did was wrong. I cannot justify what we did. The only thing we can do now is to ensure that, he [Kevin] reaches your hands safely. We will be able to do that. We will call a taxi. I am also ready to pay for any damages caused to his [Kevin’s] house.
Cop: The TV has been broken as has the door.
Shanu: All that I will take care of. I will give him money. I will also give him my phone number. But if my sister can be returned, I request you to give her back. I will fall at your feet.
Cop: Whatever I can do, I will do for you Shanu.
Aneesh told Manorama News that Shanu had made him speak to a policeman on Sunday morning and made him say that he had no complaint. According to Aneesh, Shanu and two others held weapons and threatened him to tell the police that he was safe and had no complaint.
He also told the channel that Shanu had boasted that he had paid Rs 50,000 to the Gandhinagar police.
With the phone conversation now surfacing in the media, it seems likely that a case will be filed against the two policeman for their complicity and laxity in the case.