Months after the untimely death of Malayalam actor Kalabhavan Mani and following a CBI probe, a Chalakkudy court has asked six of his close aides to undergo a lie detector test.
The six aides are: manager Jobi, driver Peter, Arun, Vipin, Murugan and Aneesh.
Mani died at a hospital in Kochi on March 6. The cause of his death has not been ascertained so far.
The new development came after Mani's close relatives expressed doubts over his close aides who always accompanied the actor.
Speaking to The News Minute, Mani’s brother RLV Ramakrishna questioned the delay on the part of the Kerala police in bringing the case to a close.
“From the very beginning onwards, we have expressed our displeasure at the manner in which the probe was being carried out. How can they justify not finding any leads even after so many months?” he said.
The Chalakkudy police submitted a request to the Chief Magistrate's court, following which the court called up the six aides, who have agreed to undergo the test.
"These six people were always by his side. We believe nothing can happen without their knowledge. Though the investigation so far has not found anything substantial, we hope the polygraph test would shed some light on what happened," Ramakrishna said.
Mani, 45, who acted in 200 films in Malayalam and other languages, was admitted to a hospital in Kochi on March 4. He was apparently suffering from a liver ailment.
The police probe team were unable to crack the case even as forensic experts said an insecticide (Chlorpyrifos) was found in the actor's body.
Mani was staying at a 30-acre farmhouse near Chalakkudy, away from his home where his wife and daughter reside.
After his death, hospital authorities reported the presence of a chemical in his body, leading to speculation that he might not have died a natural death.
(With inputs from IANS)