THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Ayiroor police probing the murder of 54-year-old Leenamani on Saturday took the two accused — Shaji and Ahad — to the crime spot for evidence collection. The police recovered an iron road which the accused persons used to beat Leenamani to death.
Shaji, 46, and Ahad, 41, were arrested by the police on Friday. The third accused, Muhsin, is still at large. The police had already arrested Raheena, 32, the wife of Ahad, as she was also directly involved in the murder. All three accused have been charged under Section 302 (Punishment for Murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Ahad, Shaji and Muhsin are brothers of Leenamani’s late husband Siyad Ul Shan and they have been trying to claim the rights over Siyad’s ancestral properties, including the house where Leenamani lived. The accused persons have been troubling Leenamani since Siyad died 18 months ago. A lawsuit is also ongoing in this regard. About a month ago, Ahad and his family forcefully entered Leena’s house. Following this, Leena approached the court and obtained an order for police protection.
The murder occurred on July 16. The four accused entered her house and got into a quarrel with Leena. During the altercation, Shaji bludgeoned Leena with an iron rod and all four of them left the house.
Leena’s aide Sarasu, who was in the house at the time of the incident, informed the neighbours. Though she was rushed to a private hospital in Varkala, Leena could not be saved. According to one of Leena’s relatives, there were also stab wounds on her arms and legs.
“A probe is on to nab Muhsin. We have received some breakthroughs. He will be arrested soon. Meanwhile, Shaji and Ahad were taken to the crime spot to collect evidence. They were remanded to judicial custody. We also recorded statements from Sarasu, the lone witness of the incident,” said Vipin Kumar U P, Ayiroor inspector of police.
Earlier, Leenamani’s relatives had alleged that the police did not provide her adequate protection despite the court order. However, the police refuted the allegation and said that Leenamani was given protection but the incident took place suddenly following an argument.