The Nilgiris: Kodanad murder and heist case: Accused Saiyan and Manoj complain of death threats
The Nilgiris: Saiyan and Manoj, the main accused in the murder case of former chief minister Jayalalithaa's Kodanad estate guard, are remanded in Coimbatore jail.
Saiyan and Manoj had lodged a complaint with the Magistrate in charge of the Ooty District Sessions Court on June 28 alleging that the jail authorities had locked them in a dark room without proper food and tried to kill them.
The murder and robbery that took place in 2017 at the Kodanad tea estate owned by the late former chief minister and her friend Sasikala came as a huge shock. Police have arrested 11 people, including the late Jayalalithaa's former driver Kanagaraj, Saiyan and Manoj from Kerala in connection with the murder and robbery case.
Jayalalithaa's car driver Kanagaraj, who was subsequently released on bail, mysteriously died in a car accident. On the same day, Saiyan, who is the second accused, was traveling to Kerala with his wife and child when an unidentified vehicle collided where Saiyan's wife and child died on the spot.
Saiyan survived with serious injuries. And the Kodanad computer engineer committed suicide at his home. Hencethe Kodanad incident in which 5 people lost their lives caused great controversy. Following this, Saiyan and Manoj both confessed that the Kodanad robbery took place on the instructions of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy.
Following this, the Chennai High Court released them from the Goondas Act after the Tamil Nadu government arrested and imprisoned them both under the Goondas Act. Saiyan and Manoj, who are currently in judicial custody, have alleged that they have been locked up in a dark room by prison officials since the 28th of this month. Saiyan and Manoj have filed a complaint with the Ooty District Sessions Court before Judge Arunachalam alleging that their lives were in danger in jail as they had received death threats.
When their lawyer Anand when he asked why the jail authorities were torturing them by keeping them locked in a dark room and not even giving them food, Saiyan and Manoj said that the prison officials said that it was all order form their superiors.