Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Oct 1: The Kerala crime branch had in a hurry, filed charge sheet against the accused in the case pertaining to the murder of teenaged housemaid Safiya, on Sunday September 29 evening at the residence of the judge in Kasargod, to beat the 90-day deadline fixed by law for the purpose. As per law, the accused automatically become eligible for bail, if no chargesheets are filed against them within 90 days of their arrests.

However, the first class magistrate's court has returned the said chargesheet to the crime branch. The court has observed several inadequacies and omissions in the chargesheet. It has pointed out that the crime branch has erred in recording of the statements of the accused. "Statements of the accused are incomplete. Serial numbers of the statements have been jumbled," the court has observed.

In the chargesheet, contractor K V Hamza (42), the first accused, has been charged with committing of the murder. Other accused Maimoona (32) wife of Hamza and Arikkadi Abdulla (37) face charges of destruction of evidences while middleman Doddapalli Moidu Haji (52) is charged with arranging to hire Safiya, an under-age girl, for house work.