The victim had given the statement to a medical officer

The 29-year-old S.R. Sreejith of Varapuzha who died following alleged custodial torture here on April 9 had said in his dying declaration that he was assaulted by two unidentifiable police officers (in civil clothes) just outside his house using their hands and feet on April 6.

According to the police intimation form seen by The Hindu, the victim had given the statement to a medical officer handling medico-legal cases at a private hospital here where he was admitted with serious injuries on April 8 morning. Sreejith disclosed that he was assaulted by the two unidentifiable officers in civil clothes at 8.30 p.m. on April 6 and was then taken straight to the Varapuzha police station.

Sreejith was brought to the emergency department of the hospital at 3.54 a.m. on April 8 with alleged history of assault-sustained jejunal perforation and pneumoperitoneum. He was later admitted to the surgical intensive care unit of the hospital. The youth had succumbed to his injuries at the private hospital on April 9 evening.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged custodial death of Sreejith had arrested three personnel of the Rural Tiger Force (RTF) here on Wednesday evening. The arrests were made after the SIT confirmed that the victim was taken into custody based on false information and that he was subjected to brutal assault in police custody.

The RTF personnel arrested were Santhosh Kumar, Jithinraj and Sumesh. The Judicial First Class Magistrate, North Paravur, had remanded the accused in judicial custody for 14 days on Thursday.

In a video message released on Thursday morning, the RTF personnel had denied reports that they had physically assaulted the youth and claimed that Sreejith was handed over to the Varapuzha police immediately after he was picked from his residence in the presence of family members on April 6.