World | India
Foul play suspected in death of couple
Relatives of a scientific officer of a government laboratory and his wife killed on Wednesday by a tanker lorry in this capital city of Kerala suspect foul play.
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 00:30 February 29, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: Relatives of a scientific officer of a government laboratory and his wife killed on Wednesday by a tanker lorry in this capital city of Kerala suspect foul play.
Ravindran, 51, and Ajitha Kumari, 39, were believed to have been run over during their morning walk when the lorry driver dozed off and the vehicle broke the footpath railing.
However, Ravindran's relatives say the upright government officer with the Chief Chemical Examiner's Laboratory had received death threats. Kumari was a school teacher.
Integrity
The relatives say that Ravindran was an officer known for his integrity and is believed to have stood up to pressures in unravelling some sensational cases.
Home minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan visited their house on Wednesday, where their relatives expressed their suspicion regarding the tragedy. The minister has ordered an inquiry into the deaths.
The driver of the lorry, Gopkumar was arrested and interrogated by the police while his assistant had fled the scene following the incident.
Shocking news
The deceased couple have a daughter and a son, aged 10 and 9 respectively, who were woken up early on Wednesday morning by their neighbours to break the shocking news.
According to police, the couple were walking on the barricaded footpath when the lorry rammed them after smashing the railings of the footpath.
The couple are believed to have died on the spot.
Police had to press a crane into service to extricate Ajitha Kumari's body from under the lorry.
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