Indu murder: Accused to face rape charge
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the murder case of NIT-Kozhikode research scholar Indu has slapped section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code on K Subash, assistant professor at NIT, who was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
The story of sexual harassment by the accused unfolded after the police confirmed that Indu was murdered and that she did not commit suicide.
According to police sources, Subash forcefully had sex with the research scholar 15 days before her death. The investigators found that Subash had taken Indu to various hotels and lodges and raped her several times, after blackmailing her with hundreds of photos and videos showing their private moments. The photographs and video footage were recovered by the police from Subash’s laptop during the inquiry. They also obtained CCTV visuals which show their visits to hotels.
Meanwhile, members of the SIT produced Subash before the Kozhikode Judicial First Class Magistrate (VI) on Sunday morning. Magistrate M R Sasi remanded the accused in judicial custody for 14 days.
He has been charged under various sections of the IPC including 302 (murder), 376 (offence of rape) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender).
The mystery behind the death of the research scholar, whose body was found in the Periyar river a few days after she went missing from Thiruvananthapuram-Mangalore Express on April 2011, was unravelled by the SIT led by IG (crimes) B Sandhya through a comprehensive scientific probe.
Investigators have confirmed that the accused pushed Indu off the moving train while it was passing through Aluva bridge.
Subash was upset that Indu refused his marriage proposal and persisted with the wedding fixed by her parents.