Kochi, First Published Mar 22, 2022, 3:28 PM IST
Kochi: The High Court has granted anticipatory bail to Sai Sankar, a private cyber hacker, in the Murder Conspiracy Case. The court observed that the anticipatory bail petition would not stand at this stage. Hacker Sai Shankar has not yet been named as a defendant in the case. The prosecution told the court that the witness was called for questioning.
Sai Shankar had demanded that the crime branch threaten to testify against Dileep’s lawyers in the case and grant him anticipatory bail as he was likely to be arrested. The bail application also states that the crime branch is harassing him and his family in the name of investigation. The move for anticipatory bail comes after the probe team issued a notice to question him. The petition was adjourned till today after the prosecution sought time to file an affidavit in reply to the petition.
The crime branch has found that Sai Shankar’s mobile phone information was destroyed in the lawyer’s office in Kochi and in a private hotel in Kochi, which was the main evidence in the conspiracy to endanger the investigating officers in the case of trying to endanger the actress. But Sai Shankar explains that he only copied Dileep’s personal information on his phone.
And that a move is being made to prosecute the case itself. Sai Shankar had told Asianet News that Karan had not given in to the pressure to testify against Dileep’s lawyers. .
Dileep’s phone evidence destroyed; Crime Branch interrogates wife of cyber expert Sai Shankar
The crime branch has questioned Essa, the wife of hacker Sai Shankar, in connection with the destruction of evidence on Dileep’s phones in the conspiracy case. The move comes after it was discovered that phone information had been erased from an iMac computer using Essa’s login ID. The crime branch said that along with Sai Shankar, Essa will be called to Kochi and questioned again to gather more evidence.
Dileep’s phones were the main evidence in the case of conspiracy to endanger officials. A forensic examination has revealed that the information was destroyed with the help of private hacker Sai Shankar before the phones were handed over to the court. The evidence was removed by attaching Dileep’s iPhone to Sai Shankar’s iMac computer. Logged in to this iMac via the ID of wife Essa. Essa was questioned to gather more evidence in this regard. Essa replied that Sai may have used iMac with his ID.
According to the team, Saishankar had copied some of the information removed from Dileep’s phone to his own system. Phones and an iPod were taken into custody from the hacker’s home the previous day. The investigation team says that this will become clear when the test results are received. Sai Shankar was summoned for questioning last day but did not appear as he had Kovid symptoms.
Murder conspiracy case; The judge withdrew from considering Dileep’s plea
Judge Punch repeatedly asked, “Why a goat? Justice K Haripal withdrew from hearing the case. The case is being re-assigned to another week. Another bench will consider the case. Meanwhile, the High Court rejected the plea to stay the crime branch investigation. The court ruled that the crime branch could continue its investigation and that it would hear detailed arguments in the case. Meanwhile, the crime branch seized mobile phones and an iPod during a search of Sai Shankar’s house by a private cyber expert who destroyed Dileep’s phone details.
Dileep had demanded that the FIR be quashed as it was a fabricated allegation that he had conspired to kill officials in the case of attacking the actress. Das, who was a helper in his house, was threatened by the investigating officers and made a statement against him.
Dileep’s lawyer also demanded that the probe be stayed pending a detailed hearing in the case. However, the court said that the Crime Branch investigation could not be stopped and that a detailed hearing in the case would be held on May 28. However, the prosecution told the court that there was evidence and testimony that he had conspired to endanger the officers.
According to the prosecution, Dileep’s mobile phone details, which were crucial evidence in the case, were removed with the help of a cyber expert just before the phone was handed over to the high court. The inspection report has also been submitted to the court.
Last Updated Mar 22, 2022, 3:37 PM IST