THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the verdict in Abhaya case is due to be issued on Tuesday, third witness from the prosecution side, Adakka Raju made a shocking revelation. Raju says that when he came for theft at Pious 10th convent early morning on the day when sister Abhaya was murdered, he saw father Thomas Kottur and sister Steffi, the chief accused in the case, at the convent. “Crime branch even attempted to impose the murder charge on me. When I denied it, I had to bear cruel physical torture. A team under S P Micheal unleashed physical assault and torture on me,” Raju said.

Raju also added that crime branch offered a job for his wife and a new home if he had accepted the murder charge. Raju is coming before the media for the first time. His revelation comes in the wake of the court verdict on the case to be issued on Tuesday.

Sister Abhaya’s dead body was found from the well in pious 10th convent on 1992 March 27. The verdict on the case which grabbed national attention comes 28 years after Abhayas death. The death of the nun, which was concluded as suicide by local police and crime branch, was proved as murder, in a detailed CBI probe.

The agency has found that Abhaya was killed and her body was thrown into the well as she saw the physical relationship between father Thomas Kottur, father Jose Puthurukkayil and Sister Steffi. ASI Augustine of Kottayam east police station who tampered the evidence while conducting inquest was also charge-sheeted by CBI in the case. But Augustine committed suicide, even before CBI submitted the charge sheet in the case. Crime branch DYSP Samuel who sabotaged the case, during its re-investigation was also made an accused by the CBI. Later, crime branch SP K T Michael was also charge-sheeted on the basis of CBI court’s verdict.

The trial of the case which commenced on August 26, was halted multiple times. The accused even approached the Supreme Court asking to exclude them from the trial proceedings. The trial of the case restarted again at CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram following the apex court’s direction.