Government nod sought to prosecute Satheeshan

KOCHI: The team probing the Perumbavoor Raghu murder case has sought the state government’s sanction to prosecute K Sudhakaran MP’s former gunman S R Satheeshan, an accused in the case. According to the police, it is mandatory to get the approval since the accused is a gov e rnment s e r v ant . “Satheeshan, a civil police officer, was arrested last September. The police had filed an application last month seeking sanction to prosecute him,” investigating officer DySP K Harikrishnan said. Once the sanction is received, chargesheet against the accused will be filed, he added. Raghu, 40, of Thangayam Veetil, Peruvembu in Palakkad, who was travelling to Perumbavoor on a KSRTC bus, was allegdly beaten up after co-passenger Santhosh of Muvattupuzha complained that pickpockets had robbed him of `10,000. Some of the passengers, including Satheeshan, frisked Raghu and beat him up when they found out that he was possessing some ‘substantial’ amount. Even after alighting from the bus at the Perumbavoor KSRTC bus stand, they allegedly assaulted Rahghu, who succumbed to injuries soon after the incident. Though the police arrested Santhosh and Satheeshan, the third unidentfied person involved in the incident has been absconding since the incident.It was the eye-witnesses who later informed the police that there was one more person behind the attack. According to the police, the third accused, whose sketch was released, is around 40 years old.“He has a medium complexion and is about 5 feet tall. He is wellbuilt and was wearing a white dhoti and white shirt,” the police said.“We hope he would be brought before the law soon. The police have placed the sketch of the person at various spots,” Harikrishnan said. The police questioned as many as 100 persons and recorded their statements including Raghu’s mother Sarojini, wife Kasturi and brother Ravi. Sarojini stated that Raghu had a sum of `12,000 while leaving for Perumbavoor. The police also recorded the statement of Balan, in whose name Raghu had pledged gold ornaments and taken money from the Perumbavoor Service Co-operative Bank.