JOIN US The State government submitted on Thursday before the High Court that it was ready to entrust the investigation into the attack on women at a homestay in Mangalore to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
In his submission before the Division Bench, Advocate General Vijay Shankar said the investigation into the attack was in full swing and 22 people had been arrested in this connection.
The offenders, he said, had been booked for various crimes, including under Section 395 (robbery) of the Criminal Procedure Code. He assured the Bench that the government was committed to ensuring justice to the victims.
“We have even approached the jurisdictional magistrate seeking remand of the chief accused in police custody... Every step is being taken to apprehend and arrest the all accused.
Evidence is being collected,” he said. Stating that the police had videographs of the attack in their custody, Shankar informed the court that the investigation would be reviewed and if the government found the probe was not satisfactory, it would be entrusted to the CID.
“The State considers the seriousness of the matter. In fact, the investigation, which was earlier headed by an officer of the rank of inspector, has now been entrusted to an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Mangalore Police Commissioner himself is supervising the probe,” the advocate general said.
When the court questioned him whether any police officer had been transferred in this connection, the advocate general said he would furnish information pertaining to it in the next hearing.
When the petitioner pointed out that an officer had been transferred, the advocate general submitted that if there was any such transfer, it might mainly be to ensure the investigation was on the right track.
The Bench then adjourned the matter with a direction to the government to file a status report.