A Crime Branch (CB) investigation has been ordered into the unnatural death of a tribal youth who was taken into the custody of Kalpetta police on March 31 in connection with the missing of a minor tribal girl. The youth, identified as Gokul, 18, of Nellarachal near Wayanad district’s Ambalavayal, was found hanging inside the toilet of the Kalpetta police station on Tuesday (April 1, 2025).
The CB investigation was ordered into the incident following the allegation of his family members that there were suspicious reasons for his death in the police custody. Some of the tribal welfare organisations also took up the incident and sought a high-level probe into the incident.
According to police sources, Gokul was taken into custody along with the missing girl from Kozhikode City. Both of them were tracked following a tip-off received by officers from the Kozhikode Women’s police station. Soon after receiving the alert, the police squad from Wayanad took the two into custody and brought them back to the Kalpetta police station.
Police officers from Kalpetta station said the body of the youth was found inside the toilet around 8 a.m. They said the officers were breaking the door as the youth who sought permission to use the washroom did not come out even after 30 minutes.
A senior police officer attached to the District Police Chief’s (Wayanad) office said there was no case registered against Gokul, though his parents had been informed about his suspected role in the missing case and asked them to report to the station. “He was not presented in the court on March 31 as it was too late when they reached the Kalpetta police station from Kozhikode,” he added.
Police sources said the minor girl had been missing from her home for a week and the special squads of the police had been in search of them in Kerala and Karnataka. “The minor girl involved in the incident had been shifted immediately to a government shelter home in Wayanad,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress leaders alleged that the police were answerable for the unnatural death of the youth who was “illegally” kept in police custody beyond the permitted time. All India Congress Committee member and former Minister P.K. Jayalakshmi also called for a high-level probe into the incident and to expose the police officers involved in the incident.
Published – April 02, 2025 04:18 pm IST
