THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The crime branch has arrested a Poovar native and his wife in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old woman and her two-and-a-half-year-old child, who had gone missing from Ooruttambalam 11 years ago.
Maheenkannu was arrested for murder, while his wife Ruqiya was arrested on a conspiracy charge. The Crime Branch had earlier found out that Divya and her daughter Gouri were murdered by Maheenkannu by pushing them into the sea off the Alila Thura coast near Colachel. The Crime Branch had charged that Maheenkannu wanted to end his relationship with Divya to save his marriage with Ruqiya. As Divya was not ready for that, she and the child were bumped off.
Maheenkannu had befriended Divya while working as a fish vendor near Poovachal. Maheenkannu started a relationship with Divya by concealing his identity and assuming a new name Manu. During this period, Maheenkannu fathered a child, Gouri, with Divya and later went abroad. When he returned later, he was not interested in continuing the affair.
Ruqiya also knew about the affair and warned of severing her relationship with Maheenkannu if he did not leave Divya and the child. Divya and Gouri went missing from their rented house at Ooruttambalam on August 18, 2011.
The family of Divya had raised serious allegations against the local police, accusing them of lethargy and inaction. It was recently that the case was handed over to the district Crime Branch. Maheenkannu earlier told Divya’s family that she had taken the child and gone away on her own. However, Divya’s sister told the cops that she had seen Maheenkannu leaving their house with Divya and the child. It was this statement that helped the crime branch crack the case.