The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has requested for a polygraph test to be done on four persons known to the late musician Balabhaskar. With this, the investigating team hopes to move forward in their probe into his death. The team has filed an appeal at the CBI court, requesting for the test to be done. Four persons acquainted with the late musician - namely his former associates Prakashan Thampi and Vishnu Somasundaram, his driver Arjun and Kalabhavan Sobi, who witnessed the accident which killed Balabhaskar will undergo the test.
Investigations in the case have also concluded that Prakashan Thampi and Vishnu, who used to manage Balabhaskar’s finances and music programmes respectively, had allegedly been smuggling gold even prior to the musician’s death.
The CBI has also summoned ace keyboardist Stephen Devassy, Balabhaskar’s friend, to get his statement recorded.
It was based on the complaint by CK Unni, Balabhaskar’s father, that Prakashan Thampi and Vishnu were questioned in the case. The duo were caught with 40 kilos of smuggled gold at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in 2019. They were arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and remanded to judicial custody.
According to reports, the duo allegedly admitted to smuggling gold even before Balabhaskar’s death. The DRI found that the duo had collectively smuggled 200 kilograms of gold from the Middle East to Kerala in 10 foreign trips, according to reports.
Vishnu allegedly deposited Rs 1 crore in his business in Dubai, possibly from the money he made by selling the smuggled gold.
The CBI decided to conduct a polygraph test as suspicions were raised over links between gold smuggling and Balabhaskar’s death.
The musician’s driver Arjun, who escaped the fatal accident, will also be subjected to the test. While musician’’s wife Lekshmi has maintained that it was Arjun who was behind the wheel, the latter contradicted these claims stating that it was Balabhaskar who was driving the car. Their conflicting statements have turned out to be a major challenge in the case.
Lastly, Kalabhavan Soby too would be subjected to the test. Soby is a witness in the case and has alleged foul play in the musician’s death. A theatre artist, who claims to be an eye-witness, Soby made explosive allegations claiming that the violinist’s was not a death but a deliberate murder.
He also claimed that a gang of quotation workers had reached Pallipuram National Highway and had broken the windows of the musician’s vehicle. However, the authenticity of his allegations are yet to be proven. As his statements did not corroborate with the available circumstantial evidence and accounts of other witnesses, the investigating team has decided to subject him to a polygraph test.