The head of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Saturday submitted a report to the government citing serious lapses in the police investigation in the Jisha murder case.
The report submitted by VACB director Jacob Thomas questions the credibility of the probe by the SITs.The SIT, headed by ADGP Sandhya, was appointed by the Left Democratic Front government and the SIT appointed by the previous United Democratic Front government was headed by ADGP Padmakumar. The 16-page report stated that the probe conducted so far was not in the “right direction”. It said that there were serious lapses in scientific collection of evidence and that the proof would not stand legal scrutiny in court, reports the Times of India.
During the investigation, police had conducted six scientific tests, collected 75 pieces of material evidence, 125 documents and taken the statements of around 105 witnesses. The investigation team had submitted a 1,500 page charge sheet in the case in which Ameerul Islam was the sole accused. It was prepared following a complaint to the VACB that the investigation was not in the proper direction. The report was handed over to the home secretary, who in turn had forwarded it to CM Pinarayi Vijayan and DGP Loknath Behara.
Jisha, hailing from Perumbavur in Eranakulam, was killed on April 28, 2016 after resisting a rape attempt. The brutal murder triggered a big storm in the state and the delay in booking the accused came in for much criticism. In June, the police zeroed in on the accused, Ameer ul-Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam.