Kerala Police to investigate financial means of rape accused Martin Joseph

The Kochi City police have launched an in depth investigation into the financial means and livelihood of the rape-accused Martin Joseph who was arrested from a hideout at Mundoor in Thrissur district on Thursday evening after a three-day-long intense manhunt.

Addressing a press convention right here on Friday, District Police Chief (Kochi City) C.H. Nagaraju emphasised the necessity to discover out the means of the accused’s luxurious life-style involving premium flats and a number of autos. Police had seized two vehicles and a motorbike.

The Ernakulam Central police had registered a case towards Martin who was accused of restraining and raping a lady with whom he was allegedly in a live-in relation at a flat in Kochi. The investigation staff had additionally arrested three of his aides, one of whom was accused in a ganja case registered in Thrissur, on cost of harbouring the accused.

“We will probe in detail how people of such antecedents could easily move between districts without being intercepted. We are checking whether there were more victims,” stated Mr. Nagaraju.

Already yet one more case has been registered towards Martin beneath Section 354 (Assault or legal power to girl with intent to outrage her modesty) on one other girl’s petition.

Mr. Nagaraju shot down allegations that police sat on the petition for 2 months with out doing something and even let the accused flee an condominium at Thrikkakara a day after the incident was reported. Mr. Nagaraju, nonetheless, conceded that extra focus and assets have been devoted into the probe solely after the report painted the gravity of the incident.

“We were already on the tail of the accused who was always absconding since we registered the case. We took all legal measures, including issuing lookout circulars to stop him from fleeing the State and getting his anticipatory bail plea stayed,” stated Mr. Nagaraju.

Standard Operating Procedure

However, an inquiry by an Assistant Commissioner has been ordered into the delay in alerting the senior officers in regards to the grievous nature of the crime, which was apparent from the accidents sustained by the sufferer. “We are looking at a Standard Operating Procedure to be followed in such cases so that such lapses aren’t repeated in the future,” he stated.

The sufferer, hailing from Kannur and settled in Ernakulam for work, managed to flee the rented condominium when the accused had gone to fetch meals at some point. However, she lodged a police petition solely on April 8, a month after she had escaped from the alleged torturous life.

Mr. Nagaraju praised the cooperation of native residents at Mundoor and Thrissur City Police in nabbing the accused from a hostile terrain.