KOLLAM: Analysing similar cases in the past and learning from the mistakes made by the prosecution in those cases helped prosecutor G Mohanraj to present fool-proof arguments during the Uthra murder case trial. “I studied the flaws in the previous snakebite homicide cases in which the accused were set free,” Mohanraj said after the court in Kollam convicted Sooraj in the murder case on Monday.
Two snakebite homicide incidents were reported in Maharashtra since 2009. In the first incident, which occurred in Pune in 2009, a woman along with her lover killed her husband. In the second incident, which occurred in Nagpur in 2011, a man killed his elderly parents for money. In both cases, as the prosecution failed to present clinching evidence for the murder angle, the accused were acquitted.
“Studying the flaws in both cases along with the help of the investigating officer convinced us about the need for presenting strong scientific and circumstantial evidence to prove whether Uthra’s death was a homicide or accident,” said the prosecutor.
During the trial, Sooraj did not confess to the crime even once. Instead, he kept on denying the act. “It was a different experience for me and the investigation and forensic teams, as a case in which a snake was used as a weapon to kill a person was reported for the first time in Kerala,” said Mohanraj.
The probe team, which received clear evidence that Uthra was a victim of domestic violence, also found that she had been facing mental torture from her husband and his family for months before her death.
Sooraj’s father, Surendran, is the second accused in the case of domestic violence, destruction of evidence and breach of trust. His mother Renuka and sister Surya are the third and fourth accused, respectively. The trial in this case will begin soon in the magistrate court.