Police pump out water from Jeyakumar’s farm well in search of his cell phones

TIRUNELVELI: A search was carried out by the special police team, which was set up to probe the mysterious death of Tirunelveli East District Congress president Jeyakumar Dhanasingh, inside a 85-ft deep well to trace two cell phones that belonged to the late leader. As part of the search, officials, with the help of fire and rescue services personnel, drained out water from the well, located in Jeyakumar’s farm, using a high-power motor.

According to sources, the works to pump out the water began on Thursday night, after Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan and members of the special police team conducted an inquiry with the Jeyakumar’s family members, including his two sons. The search came to a halt on Friday afternoon. “Amid the inquiry, which had been going on for the past three days, the police started pumping out water from the well, which was filled with water up to 25 ft, based on a tip-off in this regard. Though an old knife was recovered in the process, no cell phones were found till Friday evening,” sources added.

Meanwhile, mystery continues to shroud the death of Jeyakumar, whose charred body was recovered from his farm on May 4, a day after his son Karuthaiah Jafrin lodged a complaint with the Uvari police seeking to trace his father, who went missing on May 2. As the hands, neck and legs of the body were found tied using metal strings, police suspected the possibility of murder and initiated a probe.

Furthermore, in his purported dying declaration marked to the Superintendent of Police, and two other letters — one addressed to his nephew Jeba and another to his family members — Jeyakumar named some leaders, who allegedly owed him money. Following this, the police also conducted an inquiry with Nanguneri Congress MLA Ruby Manoharan, former Union Minister Dhanushkodi Athithan and former TNCC president K V Thangkabalu, who were named in the letters, sources added.