Kohli says, his confession before TV was not "of his own will" has left top Punjab Police officials red-faced.
Chandigarh, Aug 19, 2004
IANSThe turnaround by Maninderpal Singh Kohli, prime accused in the rape and murder of a British schoolgirl, who now says that his confession before TV was not "of his own will" has left top Punjab Police officials red-faced.
"It is definitely embarrassing. Even though his confession was recorded by TV crews, he could say that it was made under duress," said a senior official.
Human rights lawyer Arvind Thakur said Kohli -- who had been arrested from a West Bengal town last month for the murder of Hannah Claire Foster in Southampton, Britain, in March last year -- had claimed innocence in the rape and murder case and wanted to defend himself.
His sensational confession that he had "abducted, raped and later strangled" Foster was made before a TV news channel in July in the presence of Punjab Police chief Sumedh Singh Saini and other senior officials investigating his case.
But he has now told his lawyers: "The statement before TV channels was not made out of my free will."
Kohli was Wednesday sent to judicial custody by a court here till Aug 25. He is contesting his extradition to Britain to face rape and murder charges.
In his confession that was aired by other TV channels and carried in Indian newspapers, Kohli had even mentioned Saini and other officials for helping him own up to the crime.
In the statement, just hours after he came into Punjab Police custody after being handed over by the West Bengal Police in Kalimpong town, he described how he abducted Hannah and strangled her to death after raping her.
Leading lawyers had said earlier that the statement, even if recorded by TV cameras, was no good in law unless it was made before a magistrate.
The "confession" was not printed or shown by British media as police had said it would affect his case under law.
British police is reported to be preparing documents to seek Kohli's extradition to Britain to face trial there.
The extradition process would be carried out through Interpol, which had sounded a worldwide alert for his arrest after he fled from Britain four days after Hannah's
Kohli is presently lodged at Burail jail here after a court in Kharar town, 15 km from here, handed over his custody to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A court in Kalimpong had given his custody to the Punjab Police as he was wanted in a case of forgery and cheating here.
However, he was released from the case, pertaining to getting a forged Indian passport made through travel agents here, after police told a court that that it did not have much evidence against him.
