Skeleton case: Final hearing on Friday

Kochi:The final hearing in the petition moved by the investigation team probing the ‘skeleton in drum case’ seeking the nod for conducting polygraph test on a key suspect will be held at the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court on Friday. Aswathy, daughter of Shakunthala whose skeletal remains were found in a barrel of concrete on January 8, had on Wednesday informed the court that she was unwilling to undergo a polygraph test. However, the court asked her to rethink and intimate her decision to it on Friday.

Earlier, Aswathy had given consent to the probe team to undergo the test. She also moved the court seeking an anticipatory bail which was rejected. During the probe, cops found that Shakunthala was murdered by one T.M. Sajith, a native of Eroor, who committed suicide soon after the recovery of the skeleton.

They suspect Sajith and Aswathy, his lover, to be members of a  gang based in Thiruvankulam and might have eyed the nearly Rs 6 lakh Shakunthala had in her bank account. However, during interrogation Aswathy reiterated that she had only worked at the tailor shop of the gang head, a woman, and that she knew nothing. “Several of her statements, especially about her mother,  were found to be contradictory. We’ll look into other options if the court refused to give the nod for the lie test,” an officer said.