Death of prime accused in Kodanadu case accidental: Cop

: A senior police official Tuesday said the death of Kanagaraj, the prime accused in Kodanadu murder and heist case, was an accidental one and that Dhanpal, the brother of the deceased, has himself confirmed it to be so.

According to Salem Range DIG Senthilkumar, Kanagaraj died in a motorcycle crash on the Salem-Chennai bypass road.

Based on the complaint from Dhanpal, investigations were made and it was confirmed that the death was caused by an accident, Senthilkumar told reporters.

Police have the scientific and medical certificates in this regard, he said.

The police official also said Dhanpal, who initially had raised doubts over the death, had not lodged any complaint.

 

''It was our duty to clarify on the issue, as Dhanpal has raised doubts. In fact he, in his interview to the media the day after Kanagaraj's death, had stated his brother died in the accident,'' Senthilkumar said.

On April 23, 2017 late night, a group of men, including prime accused Kanagaraj barged into the Kodanad Estate after assaulting two guards.

One of them, identified as Om Bahadur, died.

The group had smashed the bungalow's window panes and searched three rooms and finding no expensive articles and money, decamped with ornamental things and watches.

Two suspects in the case, K V Sayan and Valayar Manoj had levelled the charge, which was dismissed as false and defamatory by the AIADMK, linking the party co-coordinator and Chief Minister Palaniswami to the break-in in the clip that was released in Delhi.

Kanagaraj, days after the break-in, had died in the road mishap on April 28, 2017 and Palaniswami had told the Assembly in July 2017 that there was no suspicion on the accident based on the police "probe done so far."

There was no doubt as well in regard to another road accident in Kerala the next day (April 29, 2017) involving another suspect Sayan, he had said. In that mishap, while Sayan survived, his wife and child died.