Kochi, Nov 19: The CBI on Wednesday claimed that the
arrests of two priests and a nun in the Sister Abhaya murder
case were made on the basis of "concrete and fresh" evidence
against them.
While Father Thomas Kottur (61) and Father Jose
Puthrukkayil (56) were arrested yesterday, Sister Sephi (45)
was arrested today, CBI joint director Ashok Kumar and DIG P
Kandaswamy told at a specially convened press conference at
the CBI headquarters here.
All the three were arrested from Kottayam, they said.
Not giving the details of the evidence against the
accused, Kumar said, "we have fresh evidence against them.
Unless we have evidence, we will not take anyone into
custody."
Refusing to divulge further, he said the accused could
take advantage if they revealed further and could tamper with
the evidence.
"It is the endeavour of the CBI to complete the
investigation as expeditiously as possible in full deference
of the Kerala High Court order," Kumar said. "They expect us
to complete the investigations as early as possible," he
added.
The CBI joint director also requested the media to
avoid giving credence to unconfirmed reports. "Unconfirmed
reports will affect the case. We are investigating all the
aspects."
Replying to a query, he said, "the CBI did not mentally
or physically torture the accused in its custody. We give them
all medical assistance too."
The CBI has constituted a team of 30 officials,
including officers who know the local language, to handle the
case.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 00:00