KOCHI: Babukuttan, prime accused in the case in which a 31-year-old woman was assaulted onboard a moving train, had got into the D-9 coach of Guruvayur-Punalur Express train at Mulanthuruthy railway station on the fateful day after noticing that the victim was alone. To escape from him, the woman ran out of the compartment and stood on the doorsteps of the coach of the moving train. While she attempted to thwart him, she lost her balance and fell onto the railway track at Olippuram, the accused told police during evidence collection carried out at Mulanthuruthy on Tuesday.
The investigation team completed the evidence collection and produced Babukuttan before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court as his police custody ended on Tuesday. The court remanded him in judicial custody.
The accused was travelling in D-10 coach and alighted at Mulanthuruthy. Noticing that the victim was all alone in the compartment, he entered the coach and closed all the doors and robbed her chain after brandishing a screw driver at her. The victim somehow fled the coach and fell off the train at Olippuram, near Mulanthuruthy. Subsequently, Babukuttan alighted at Mavelikkara railway station after coming to know that police were carrying out checks at railway stations, according to the police.
“Five accused, including Babukuttan, were arrested in the case. The four others were nabbed for providing assistance to Babukuttan and sell the gold chain stolen by him,” said Crispin Sam, CI, Railway police. The others arrested are Pradeep,Muthu, Suresh and Achu. The Railway police said that they assisted Babukuttan to go into hiding and sell the victim’s ornaments.
According to the police, Pradeep and Muthu helped Babukuttan sell the ornaments to a jeweller in Varkala. The three had become friends while serving time at the Poojappura Central Jail some years ago.On April 28, Asha Murali, a clerk at the higher secondary regional office in Chengannur, was assaulted by the assailant shortly after the train set off from Mulanthuruthy station.