THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Contrary to the findings made by the local police, the Crime Branch team probing the death of Balabhaskar on Saturday confirmed that Arjun, the associate of Balabhaskar, was driving the car during the accident claiming the life of musician and his daughter.
The team found the evidence based on the forensic report including the fingerprints making it clear that Arjun, who accompanied Balabhaskar and family from a trip from Thrissur to Thiruvananthapuram, was the driver.
Since it was a long trip, Arjun had driven the car from Kollam, crime branch officials said.
Earlier, the local police had found out that Balabhaskar was driving the car when it met with an accident in September last year.
In October last year, Arjun had also told the state police that it was Balabhaskar who drove the car at the time of the accident.
According to Crime Branch, they will register a case against Arjun based on Section 304 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Indian Penal Code.
The sleuths also said that they will take confidential statements from the eye-witnesses of the incident who earlier stated that Arjun was the driver.
Later, Balabhaskar's wife Lakshmi told police that it was Arjun, and not her husband, who was behind the wheel.
Lakshmi said that Balabhaskar never used to drive the vehicle during long-distance journeys and added that she was sitting in the front seat with their child Thejaswini on her lap.
However, local police did not take this statement as evidence and later the investigation was handed over to Crime Branch following pressure from Balabhaskar's relatives and friends.
The crime branch had also investigated the involvement of musician's former manager Prakash Thampi who was accused of gold smuggling case.
But the investigators later dismissed his involvement in the accident and Thampi had also stated that Arjun was the driver.
C K Unni, Balabhaskar’s father, told police his son had said the car was driven by Arjun. Unni said that Balabhaskar told this while he remained conscious at the hospital. To a question in this regard, Balabhaskar replied it was ‘Appu’, Arjun’s pet name.
The incident took place on the national highway at Pallipuram on September 25 when the family was returning home after visiting a temple in Thrissur.
The kid died soon after the accident and Balabhaskar succumbed to injuries on October 1, 2018.