Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria on Tuesday deposed as a defence witness before a sessions court in Mumbai in the infamous television executive Neeraj Grover murder case.
Maria, who was the then Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), told the court that the information he revealed during the press conference held on May 31, 2008 was provided by now deceased crime branch officer Sunil Ghosalkar, who had coordinated between Malad police station and the crime branch.
When the defence lawyers asked Maria about the source of his information regarding the blood-stained curtains, bed sheets and the watchman of the building witnessing the accused putting the bag (allegedly with the body of Grover) in the car, Maria replied that the inputs were given by one of the accused Maria Susairaj herself.
The incumbent ATS chief also told the court that the crime branch got involved in the case after Grover's father Amaranth, who was crestfallen after the incident, approached him.
"Seeing him crying bitterly, I directed the crime branch to assist Malad police station in the investigations," Maria said.
He also told the court that he transferred the investigations of the case to Bandra unit even as Malad police station falls under the jurisdiction of Kandivali as the latter was busy in detecting another case.
The accused duo of Emile Jerome, a naval officer, and his girlfriend Kannada actress Maria Susairaj, allegedly stabbed Neeraj Grover to death at Susairaj's house in Malad on May 7, 2008.
They allegedly cut his body into pieces with a kitchen knife before disposed it off at the jungles in Manor.
Image: Rakesh Maria
