KOCHI: Police on Thursday took Chendamangalam triple murder case accused Rithu Jayan to the crime scene in Perepadam for evidence collection. To avoid any untoward incident, the team reached the location around 7.30am.
On January 16, Rithu bludgeoned his neighbours Venu, 65, his wife Usha, 62, and their daughter Vinisha, 32, to death using an iron rod. Vinisha’s husband Jithin suffered grave injuries in the attack. Provoked by the gruesome murders, residents attempted to attack Rithu when he was produced before court following his arrest.
This presented a major challenge for cops to avoid similar tensions during evidence collection in the presence of the accused. This forced the police to carry out the procedures in the morning. Around 50 officers were deployed to prevent crowds from assembling in the area. Rithu was first taken to the house of the victims where he narrated how he attacked the deceased and discarded the weapons on the compound before fleeing on Jithin’s motorcycle. Later, Rithu was taken to his house as part of the process. The procedure lasted nearly half an hour before Rithu was shifted to Vadakkekara police station.
With Rithu’s police custody set to expire on Friday, the investigation team is likely to seek an extension in court. According to officers, his custody would be required for collecting scientific evidence and further interrogations.