Cauvery fire suspects taken to Ahmedabad

They will undergo a lie-detector test there though experts have repeatedly called it unreliable

Cauvery fire suspects taken to Ahmedabad

They will undergo a lie-detector test there though experts have repeatedly called it unreliable

The four suspects arrested in the Cauvery Emporium fire case have been taken to Ahmedabad for a lie-detector test as part of the investigation.

Central Crime Branch sleuths have taken over investigations into the fire, which destroyed crores worth of handicrafts and sandalwood, after the emergency services department reported a suspected
sabotage.

The fire broke out on March 31 on the mezzanine floor of the Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation's MG Road showroom (Cauvery Emporium) at around 8 pm, gutting some seven counters selling textiles, toys and hosiery. Fire and emergency service officials who conducted a detailed probe concluded that it could be the handiwork of some staff, who tried to make it look like an accident.

The CCB, which grilled several staff members, zeroed in on four suspects who have since been taken to the Ahmedabad Forensic Science Lab (FSL) for a polygraph test.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Alok Kumar confirmed this but refused to divulge more details. "We are probing several angles and the matter is still in the investigation stage," he said.

Back to basics

The police's increasing preference for "scientific tests" in investigation has drawn flak from experts. Former Chennai FSL director Prof Chandrashekharan openly stated that only officers who didn't have confidence in their abilities resorted to such tests. "I have written a detailed report to the union law commission on such erroneous scientific tests, seeking they be banned," he said.u00a0

u00a0It might be recalled that a senior officer too had recently discouraged the police from using scientific tests for investigations, saying officers should do more groundwork rather than depend on the tests for results.

But since the psychology division of the Bangalore FSL was virtually shut down after assistant director Dr Malini was sacked, police are making a beeline for the Mumbai and Ahmedabad FSLs.

Interestingly, the Ahmedabad lab too had come under fire after the CBI joint director openly said that they failed to get any results from tests on the Aarushi murder suspects. Later, a team of officials constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs who inspected the Ahmedabad FSL reported that the test results had several errors and were unfit to aid investigations.

However, Alok Kumar said he was not aware of such reports.