THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “We all say love doesn’t kill. But now, we feel we have to distinguish between good love and bad love. Just like we segregate good people and bad people.” That was the reaction of a senior officer, who visited the crime spot in Karakonam where a disgruntled youth took a girl’s life and then his own. His words, it could be assumed, could’ve been prompted by the gory scene inside the house. There was blood splattered on the floor of the bedroom where the murder took place, with red marks visible on the bed as well. Outside the room, sat the parents of the girl, leaning against the wall, totally shattered.
The Vellarada police said Anu, who resides just across the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, was in love with Ashika for quite sometime. “Their affair was known to all. Later, Ashika’s parents objected to their relationship and lodged a complaint against Anu at Vellarada station,” said a police officer. As per Neyyattinkara DySP Anil Kumar, the complaint was registered last April and the police had summoned the duo and their parents. “The complaint was that Anu was stalking her. At the police station, Anu gave in writing that he will not pursue her anymore. We thought it was over,” he said. However, the two still met occasionally, said local sources.
Local ward member R Sujeer said they also thought the matter was settled forever after the police complaint. “The two families stay in my ward. We all know each other well. We did not know that this affair will have a bloody end. The people in the locality are really shocked and are yet to tide over this tragedy,” he said.
Meanwhile, police have recovered the knife that was used to commit the crime. Sources said it was a freshly procured knife and had grooves on it. The sources said they will wait for the forensic reports to check whether the youth was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.