Absconding for over five years, the mastermind and third accused in the case of the chopping off of the palm of Prof. T.J. Joseph of Newman College in Muvattupuzha, M.K.
Absconding for over five years, the mastermind and third accused in the case of the chopping off of the palm of Prof. T.J. Joseph of Newman College in Muvattupuzha, M.K. Nazar Kunjunnikkara, from Aluva, finally surrendered before the NIA special court in Kochi on Friday. The court remanded him in judicial custody till November 17 and he was sent to Kakkanad sub-jail.
Nazar pleaded for bail, which may come up before the court on November 9. The NIA will request the court to grant it custody for questioning most probably on Monday.
Nazar said he was in Kerala and had not been absconding and, therefore, the NIA’s claim that he had left the country was not true. It was because of the fear of police torture that he had not surrendered, he claimed before the court.
As many as 54 accused were listed in this case, of whom 17 were removed by the court from the list citing lack of evidence. Of the remaining 37 accused, six were absconding and the court had directed that the case be split by framing one chargesheet for 31 accused and a separate one for the absconding six. The trial of the 31 accused ended on April 30, 2015, with the NIA court convicting 13 and acquitting 18.
The second chargesheet against the six accused, including M.K. Nazar, was submitted to the court a couple of months ago. The other five accused are K.A. Najeeb of Kunjunnikkara, Aluva; Savad of Muthuvassery House, Ernakulam; Sajil of Thottathikudil Veedu, Muvattupuzha; Shafeeq of Odakkali and Azeez of Kizhakkanayil House, Odakkal. Najeeb, the fourth accused, surrendered before the court on April 12, 2015 and is in judicial custody. Savad, Sajil, Shafeeq and Azeez are the first, second, fifth and sixth accused in the case, respectively. They are absconding.
