Kerala: Violinist Balabhaskar’s father claims son was murdered, criticizes investigation

Balabhaskar's father, Unni, alleges his son's 2018 death was murder, citing driver Arjun's criminal past and recent gold robbery arrest, and claiming the CBI prematurely closed the investigation.

Thiruvananthapuram: Father of late violinist Balabhaskar, Unni, has raised serious allegations, claiming that his son's death was a murder. In a recent media interaction, Unni expressed frustration over what he believes has been an inadequate investigation into his son's tragic death. He pointed out that Balabhaskar's driver, Arjun, was previously implicated in several criminal cases, a fact Unni only discovered after the accident. Unni said he now believes that Arjun's arrest in connection with a gold robbery strengthens his suspicions of foul play in his son's death. Additionally, he alleged that the CBI had been influenced to prematurely close their investigation.

Arjun, the driver, was among those arrested in Perinthalmanna for attacking a merchant and robbing gold. The 13-member gang, which includes Arjun, carried out the robbery on November 21. The police have already arrested 13 individuals in connection with the case. Arjun, a Thrissur native, was driving the vehicle during the robbery, and it has since emerged that he was also the driver at the time of Balabhaskar's fatal accident on September 25, 2018. Arjun, who is currently in remand, had been questioned by the police, Crime Branch, and CBI regarding suspicions surrounding the accident.

At the time of the accident, there were strong allegations that Arjun had ties to gold smuggling gangs. The recent gold robbery case and Arjun's involvement further fuel these suspicions. Additionally, police investigations have revealed that Arjun has been involved in other robbery and assault cases. His connections to the accused in the gold robbery case suggest a possible conspiracy. However, the police have stated that the gold robbery case is unrelated to Balabhaskar's death, and no new investigation is underway in that regard.