Koodathil deaths case: Hand over will to probe team, says court

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The additional sub-court here has ordered to hand over the will – the primary point of contention in the Koodathil family property fraud and murder case at Karamana – to the District Crime Branch investigation team. The order pronounced by Justice Harish of the second additional sub-court was based on a petition filed by the District Crime Branch to hand over the will to them for scientific examination of the signatures and other documents.

As per the case registered by the police, the Koodathil family caretaker and prime accused Raveendran Nair cheated the late Jayamadhavan Nair by forging his will on February 15, 2016, to gain the power of attorney, and thereby take possession of the house ‘Uma Mandiram’ and 33 cents of land. Raveendran Nair’s lawyer argued in court that handing over the will to the probe team was not legally binding and that it should only be done through civil proceedings. 

However, Assistant Public Prosecutor S Premkumar said there was no legal impediment to hand over the will to the police for investigation. Initially, the Karamana police had registered an FIR against 12 people including Raveendran Nair on October 17, 2017, in the Koodathil case. Later in 2019, however, the case was handed over to the District Crime Branch, after neighbours of the family approached Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and raised suspicion regarding the series of deaths in the Koodathil family over the past several years. The neighbours also pointed out that as the family had no legal heir, the property was supposed to be handed over to the government.

‘WILL FORGED BY CARETAKER & PRIME ACCUSED’
As per case registered by the police, the Koodathil family caretaker and prime accused Raveendran Nair cheated the late Jayamadhavan Nair by forging his will in 2016, to gain power of attorney