KOCHI: Finding evidence from a decomposed body is one of the toughest challenges faced by investigating officers. In 2016, one such case left the police flummoxed. Milton, 45, of Chullikkal in Kochi, was found dead at his house, where he had been living with his mother and brother — both mentally unstable. Milton’s decomposed body was discovered nine days after his death, when neighbours complained about the stench from the house, an officer who was part of the probe recalled. At the time, the police had no clue Milton was murdered.
It was hard for the police surgeon to ascertain the cause of death, as the body was fully decomposed. However, Dr Krishna B, assistant professor, Medical College Hospital, Alappuzha, who carried out the autopsy, noticed some laceration marks, which helped confirm murder. The police, however, were totally in the dark on how to go about the probe, as Milton’s mother and brother were unable reveal any information or clues.
That’s when investigation officer Aneesh K G, then Palluruthy inspector of police, made a breakthrough. He noted that Milton’s mobile phone was missing. “When we tracked the mobile phone, we got an input about Milton’s second brother, Babu, who had been working in Lakshadweep. He was somewhere in Tamil Nadu and the phone was with him,” the officer recalled.
The probe team nabbed Babu, and he confessed to the crime. Babu had nurtured a grudge, as Milton had opposed his idea to sell the family house. Milton had also manhandled Babu. On September 13, 2016, Babu barged into the house and stabbed Milton 18 times on various parts of the body. He also kicked Milton wearing boots, causing fractures in the ribs and larynx.
“If he hadn’t taken Milton’s mobile phone, it would have been really tough case to crack,” says an offcier, who was part of the probe. Notably, after coming out on bail, Babu, who got separated from his wife and children, murdered his younger brother Nelson too. Officers also found that he was a habitual offender, and had been jailed for raping a minor girl in Kannur in 2011. Two weeks ago, Babu was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Milton murder case.