THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The police relied on CCTV visuals and digital evidence to identify the culprit – a 38-year-old female medical practitioner – who had allegedly fired at a female staff of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Dr Deepthi Mol Jose, who worked as a pulmonologist at a private hospital in Kollam, was nabbed from her quarters at Parippally on Tuesday evening. Her arrest was recorded later in the day.
Police sources said Deepthi and Shini, who was injured after being shot at using an air gun, knew each other. It was the past relationship Shini’s husband had with Deepthi that proved to be the bone of contention between the two. Shini’s husband had earlier worked in Kollam and was in contact with Deepthi, who is also married.
The relationship later soured and Deepthi decided to exact revenge on Shini’s husband by attacking her.
Even as the police managed to obtain some information regarding this past episode connecting the two women, CCTV visuals threw up details of the assailant. The police had found that the assailant had fled to Kollam in her car after the attack. Once her identity was confirmed, the cops searched for digital leads and learnt that Deepthi had ordered an air gun, which do not require a licence to operate, from an e-commerce platform.
The air gun was purchased a few months back and since then the doctor was watching videos online to learn how to operate it. The cops proceeded to round up the doctor who confessed to the crime after being shown the mountain of evidence against her, a police source said.
Sources added that Deepthi had recced Shini’s house several times to draw an action plan. It was during one such clandestine visit that she noticed that couriers were regularly being sent to Shini.
And she decided to disguise herself as a courier delivery person to enter the premises of Shini’s house and target her. Shini was attacked on Sunday morning. Deepthi had carried five pellets with her and three of them were fired at Shini, a source said.
Deepthi had first interacted with Shini’s father-in-law, saying she had a parcel for her. She asked the man to call Shini as it was booked in her name. When Shini was about to sign the documents to collect the parcel, the assailant pulled out the air gun and fired at her. She sustained injuries to her palm while trying to cover her face.