KOCHI: The police team probing the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl at Aluva recovered a piece of the victim’s dress and her sandals from the dump yard behind Aluva market during the evidence collection and pointing-out procedure on Thursday.
The accused Asafak Alam (28), a Bihar native, was taken to the place from where the body of the victim was recovered on July 29.
Around 4 PM, the police team brought Alam to the dump yard. The evidence collection procedure was carried out without any interruption even though a large crowd had gathered there to see the accused. Alam pointed to a fabric piece from the dress of the victim which was used to strangulate her. He also showed the sandals of the victim at the crime spot.
The evidence collection and pointing-out procedure were conducted for half an hour before the accused was taken back to the Aluva police station. Seeing him taken back to the vehicle under tight security cover, the large crowd gathered there booed at him. Alam is likely to be taken to his rented room at Choornikara on Friday for further evidence collection.
Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vivek Kumar said evidence collection was conducted based on the statement given by Alam. “He is cooperating with the investigation. The investigation so far has not found the involvement of other people in the crime. He did the act alone,” the SP told reporters in Aluva.
According to him, the postmortem report is out and it has been confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation. “The injuries reveal rape. The injuries are gruesome,” he said. Vivek said that two police teams will be sent to Bihar and New Delhi as part of the probe. According to him, the team will travel to these states after the recording of the statement of the accused is completed. He said that the probe team has contacted the Bihar police and it is being checked whether the accused is involved in any case there. It has been confirmed that he is from Bihar and the whereabouts of his family are being checked with the help of Bihar police.
Police had found that Alam was involved in a case related to the molestation of a minor in New Delhi in 2018. Ghazipur police had arrested him and he was in jail for a month. After being released on bail, he absconded and reached Kerala.
Ministers visit the victim's house
A day after the government-sanctioned 10 lakh solatium to the family members of the five-year-old who was raped and murdered at Aluva, Industries Minister P Rajeeve, Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, Excise Minister M B Rajesh, Aluva MLA Anwar Sadath and Ernakulam Rural Police Chief Vivek Kumar visited the house of the victim and handed over the government order regarding the sanction of D10 lakh to the family. “We have handed over the government order on a decision to deposit D10 lakh in a joint bank account of the victim’s parents and the district collector. Evidence is being collected to ensure maximum punishment to the accused,” Rajeeve said.
Statements of six witnesses to be recorded
Ernakulam Range DIG A Sreenivas said the confidential statements of six witnesses of the Aluva murder case will be recorded under CrPC 164. He told reporters that the statements will be recorded by a magistrate to ensure that witnesses do not retract their statements during the trial stage. An application for recording the confidential statement has to be filed at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court. Later, the magistrate will record the statement of persons under Section 164 of CrPC. Sreenivas said that the postmortem report confirmed that the victim was strangulated by the accused Asafak Alam causing her death. Experts will be taken to the crime spot for the collection of scientific evidence.