The death of singer-violinist Balabhaskar, who died in a car crash in October last year, will now be probed by the Crime Branch. Director General of Police Loknath Behera shifted the case to the Crime branch based on the demands of Balabhaskar’s father. A new team for the probe will be set up soon.
Earlier, Attingal DYSP Anil Kumar was in charge of the investigations and his team concluded that there was nothing suspicious about Balabhaskar’s death.
“There has been information that the case has been handed over to the crime branch. We are expecting to receive the order soon. Once we do, we will hand over the file to them,” Attingal DYSP told TNM.
Following Balabhaskar’s death in an accident which killed his daughter Tejaswini and ended his life after a week-long battle in the ICU, his father filed a complaint with the DGP stating that there were suspicious financial dealings involved.
Before the investigations had ended, he had also stated that the police had never recorded the family’s statement and that the probe was going on the wrong track. It was then that CM Pinarayi Vijayan had to intervene and transfer the case to the crime branch.
During the investigation, the police have also found that Balabhaskar’s friend, Arjun who was driving the car that the violinist, his wife Lakshmi and daughter Tejaswini were travelling in when the accident took place, had been involved in two criminal cases.
“This was investigated and we have realised that that is not related to the case in any way,” Attingal DYSP had told TNM.
On September 25, Balabhaskar and his family along with Arjun were travelling from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram following a temple visit, when they met with an accident near Pallipuram in Thiruvananthapuram. While the couple’s daughter passed away on the spot, Balabhaskar and his wife were admitted to hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram with serious injuries. While Balabhaskar succumbed to his injuries later, his wife Lakshmi and Arjun, who too had suffered minor injuries, survived the accident.