KOCHI: Locking culprits behind bars is often deemed as the ultimate goal of any crime investigation. However, there are times when criminals behind the bars assist sleuths in solving mysteries. The Kochi crime branch cracked such a case with the help of prison inmates. Notably, it was 17-year-old whodunit involving the brutal murder of a 74-year-old woman and her nephew at Ponekkara in Kochi.
The incident happened on May 30, 2004. Police found V Nanikkutty Ammal and TV Narayana Iyer beaten to death. Officers noted that the murderer had also raped the woman, before decamping with 40 sovereigns of gold.
They had a hunch that K P Jayanandan aka ‘Ripper’ Jayanandan was the culprit. He had a pattern — targeting the heads of victims using tools obtained from the crime scene. However, officers could not collect “conclusive evidence” to arraign him as the accused. “Though the probe started more than 15 years ago, we never had any solid clues to reach the murderer,” says Deputy Superintendent of Police Y R Restum, who led the investigation.
“In another case... the Puthenvelikkara murder, Jayanandan was sent to jail. The Supreme Court reduced his capital punishment to life imprisonment. He was put in a special cell with just a few other convicts. They became friends.”
Excited over the SC’s decision, Jayanandan disclosed about the Ponekkara dual murder to his cellmates before his relase from jail. “He had no clue that the inmate was our informer,” says Restum.
“He wrote to the district judge, citing the relevant information on Jayanandan’s revelation. This helped us establish his role in the dual murder.”
Officers tracked down a staffer at a jewellery shop, where Jayanandan sold the gold. “Though the owner of the shop was dead, an employee identified Jayanandan and helped tighten our grip on the case,” says Restum. Finally, in December last year, officers arrested ‘Ripper’ Jayanandan. Overall, he was involved in eight murders and over 35 robberies.