KOCHI: Was a 26-year-old woman, a mother of two, brutally murdered by her lover, who then dumped her body in Thumboormozhi forest in Athirappilly?
The deceased is Athira, the wife of Sanal, hailing from Parakkadavu in Angamaly. The accused, Akhil, is her colleague at a supermarket. He had confessed to the crime following his arrest.
But even though Akhil said he had murdered Athira over a dispute that broke out over the return of gold and money he had borrowed, police are unconvinced. What really transpired in Athirappilly, where her body was found five days after she went missing, remains a mystery.
Police don't entirely buy the accused's narrative that he killed her driven by the fear that she would seek the return of the 10-sovereigns of gold he owed her. They believe the mystery can only be solved if they get a clear picture of what transpired at Athirappilly where he took her in a rented car on April 29. Police also suspect the involvement of others.
"How can someone murder another just because they fear the victim would ask for the money in the future? If there is any difference of opinion between the two, why would Athira go with him into the forest? Their reasons for visiting Athirappilly remains a mystery," an officer said.
Police are also puzzled by Akhil’s statement.
"Since he has no other criminal record, the reason he gave cannot be considered good enough for him to have committed the crime. We suspect that some incident in Athirappilly resulted in the murder," said a police officer.
Akhil's statement also revealed that Athira had not asked him to return the gold, the police said.
"It was nearly six months ago that Athira started working at the supermarket in Angamaly, where Akhil was also a staff member. Within a short span of time, they became friends. After this, he started asking for gold to clear his debt. However, the woman didn't ask him to return it until now. This reason is not very convincing," the officer said.
Regarding their suspicion that others might have been involved in the murder, a police officer said they are yet to rule out that possibility.
"The circumstantial evidence is fully against the accused. But we cannot rule out the possibility of the involvement of other people in the murder. A detailed probe will clear all the doubts," the officer said.