KOCHI: The police team investigating the murder of a youth whose body was found wrapped in a bedsheet in a flat near Kakkanad suspects the involvement of more people in the crime. Though the police arrested prime suspect Arshad, a resident of Payyoli in Kannur, from Manjeshwar on Wednesday for the alleged murder of Sajeev Krishnan, 23, in the 16th-floor flat in an apartment complex at Edachira in Kakkanad, the investigation team is looking for more persons who might have had a role.
“At present, we have only one prime suspect. Since he had absconded after the incident, his role is almost confirmed. We have recovered Sajeev’s mobile phone, which Arshad used to send messages to misguide the other flatmates that Sajeev was alive.
But we are not in a position to believe that only Arshad was involved in this. We could gather that the crime scene had been tampered with and a single person alone could not do that after the murder. So, we suspect the role of one or two more persons in the murder,” said a source in the Kochi city police. Sajeev’s body was wrapped using a bedsheet and the head and legs were covered with plastic bags. “There are nearly 20 injury marks on the body. We could find some blood marks in the flat, which was a bit far from where the body was lying. Though it is possible for a healthy person to do it alone, we cannot rule out the involvement of another person. The fact that the flat had been visited by several persons also points to this possibility,” the officer said.
The police also found evidence of the use of drugs in the flat, and they also received information that the people living in the flat had some connections with the drug mafia. “The blood sample and other evidence that we collected from the crime scene have been handed over to the forensic team. The case will have a twist if we can find the blood sample of a third person. It can be confirmed through the forensic test. So, we are pursuing all possible angles to find the person(s) involved. A scuffle over drugs alone cannot be considered a reason for the murder,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, police sources confirmed that Arshad would be brought to Kochi on Friday. “He is now remanded in a drug case in Kasaragod. We will submit a custody application to a court in Kochi for the accused,” the officer said. The police also suspect the role of other flatmates who claimed that they were on a four-day tour.
EFFORTS ON TO TIGHTEN SURVEILLANCE: NAGARAJU
Police are making efforts to tighten surveillance with the help of residents’ associations. We started ‘Operation Nireekshanam’ targeting 2 lakh CCTV cameras in Kochi city. The associations have been requested to install and maintain the cameras for better surveillance, said City Police Commissioner C H Nagaraju