Kochi, A court here on Thursday granted five days’ police custody of an accused in the arson attack near a synagogue in Ernakulam Market, with investigators probing suspected terror links.
Ernakulam Judicial First Class Magistrate Abhirami A sent Ebin Paul , a native of Puthencruz near here, to police custody for five days. During the hearing on the custody petition, Paul’s counsel submitted that the accused was mentally unwell and taking medication. The counsel requested that Paul be allowed to take his medicines while in police custody.
After considering the submissions from both sides, the court granted police custody for five days and directed it to submit a report every 48 hours. The incident occurred around 2.30 am on October 12, when a fire was set at Blossom Nursery, located in front of the Kadavubhagam synagogue in Ernakulam Market, within the limits of the Kochi Central police station.
The public prosecutor told the court that a detailed investigation was under way to establish the accused’s links with others and the motive behind the crime.
The accused arrived at the spot in a blue car, got out of the vehicle, poured petrol on the nursery and set it on fire, according to the investigation.
