By Express News Service
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The investigation into Latvian national Liga Skromane’s murder has taken a new turn with the forensic experts hinting they had spotted signs of strangulation during autopsy. Though the post-mortem report is yet to be submitted, the lead has prompted the police to look into the murder angle also.
This was confirmed by a senior officer who is part of the investigation. “We were intimated by one of the doctors there are indeed signs of strangulation. So we are now looking at Liga’s death as a case of murder,” he said. Nonetheless, the officer said he can’t say whether Liga was sexually abused as rape is yet to be confirmed. “All I can say is the body did not bear any external injuries pointing towards rape. But we are awaiting all the medical reports and will reach a conclusion after going through them,” he said.
With the suicide theory jettisoned, the police now have a formidable task as they are yet to find reliable witnesses to prove Liga had entered Vazhamuttom from where her body was recovered. The police team on Wednesday questioned a few persons - all of them petty criminals - in the case.
According to the police sources, they will try and establish the veracity of the statement by three local fishermen who said they heard a local woman telling another person she saw Liga walking through the seaside and entering the place. This is necessary since the woman had subsequently denied the statement attributed to her, they said.
Meanwhile, Ilze Skromane, sister of Liga, expressed satisfaction with the ongoing investigation. “The police officers probing the case and the forensic experts are doing a good job. I hope they will be able to crack the case soon,” she said.
