KOCHI: The Ernakulam Central police probing the murder of 17-year-old Eva Antony, alias Gopika, will take accused Safar Sha, 26, of Kumbalam, to Valparai in Tamil Nadu on Thursday for evidence collection, including the recovery of the knife used to kill the Plus II student.
Sha was sent to police custody on Tuesday. He was taken to his house and then to the shop in the city from where he bought the knife as part of evidence collection.
“The murder was pre-planned. The accused had bought the weapon ahead of taking the girl to Valparai and stabbed her as soon as argument broke out over the nature of their friendship. He inflicted multiple injuries on her which led to her death,” said a police officer, adding that Sha had travelled abroad and they collected documents in connection with his journeys on Tuesday.
“The most important thing which needs to be recovered is the knife which he had hurled into a deserted location near the tea plantation where he dumped the girl’s body,” said an officer with the investigation team. The police will also ascertain whether Sha sexually abused the girl.
Gruesome act
The body of Eva, a resident of Kaloor who went missing on January 7, was found at a tea estate at Malakkapara bordering Tamil Nadu the same night with stab injuries. The police said Sha, who worked at a car service centre in Maradu, carried out the crime after planning it over two weeks.
Sha confessed to killing Eva for rejecting his marriage proposal. They had been in a relationship for about a year.