IB officer’s death: accused taken to Kochi for evidence collection

The Thiruvananthapuram City police took Sukanth Suresh, the prime accused in the death of an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer in Pettah two months ago, to his rented house at Nedumbassery, near Kochi, on Wednesday as part of evidence collection.

He was taken to the victim’s accommodation in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, shortly after the Pettah police received his custody. He will be returned to judicial custody on Thursday. Sukanth, who has been accused of rape, will also undergo a potency test.

According to official sources, the accused confessed that the deceased IB officer had visited him at his apartment on multiple occasions since January, when he moved in there. She is suspected to have been allegedly sexually exploited there.

Statements recorded

The investigation team recorded the statements of his neighbours, who identified the accused. The evidence collection at Nedumbassery lasted around two hours, following which the group returned to Thiruvananthapuram.

Sukanth had surrendered at the office of the Kochi Deputy Commissioner of Police late last month after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. He was later handed over to the Pettah police, who recorded his arrest.

Sukanth’s claim

During interrogation, Sukanth claimed that their relationship was consensual and they had occasional arguments. He maintained that his actions were not the cause of her suicide and that he did not end the relationship. However, this contradicted the evidence presented by the victim’s parents and the recovered chats, sources said.

The police have reportedly recovered social media chats between the accused and the deceased officer, which allegedly contain evidence of mental, physical and financial exploitation. The communication is believed to have instigated her suicide.

The investigation team also presented evidence to the court suggesting that Sukanth had relationships with other women, raising suspicion of similar exploitation. The police have also found evidence that that the accused pressured the deceased into undergoing an abortion, which significantly impacted her well-being.

Published - June 04, 2025 08:13 pm IST