ALAPPUZHA: Crime Branch team investigating the case in connection with the missing of Bindhu Padmanabhan of Kadakkarapally, Cherthala, is planning to interrogate Muhammad Shafi, the prime accused in the Elanthoor twin murder case. Crime branch DySP R Suresh said the team will interrogate Shafi on Monday based on reports that he was seen with Bindhu at Kadakkarapally before she went missing.
“We have not yet received any concrete evidence to connect Shafi with the case. However, some local people said that they had seen a man resembling Shafi along with Bindhu in 2010-2013 period,” the DySP said. Cherthala police had launched a probe based on a complaint filed by Bindhu’s brother Praveen Padmanabha Pillai, of Kadakkarappally, on May 2017. As per the complaint, Praveen’s 46-year-old spinster sister, who owned assets worth crores of rupees had gone missing under mysterious circumstances in August 2013.
He said some real estate brokers including Sebastian, a native of Pallipuram, Cherthala, and T Mini alias Jaya, a native of Karuppamkulangara near Cherthala, had taken possession of her assets after forging documents. Bindhu was staying alone at her house, Padma Nivas, after the death of her parents. She sold ancestral properties worth crores of rupees. She had also owned land at Edappally in Ernakulam. Later it was sold, but the documents used for selling the property were found forged.
For selling the land, the title deed, a driving licence, SSLC book, and power of attorney of Bindhu were produced in the registrar’s office, but all the documents were later found to be fake. Later, Sebastian and a real estate broker, was arrested by the local police. Sebastian told police that he had created fake documents in the name of Bindhu.
T Mini alias Jaya, the second accused in the case, confessed to the police that she had signed documents impersonating as Bindhu for selling the properties. Though the local police questioned both the accused, they did not get any clue about Bindhu. The mystery behind Bindhu’s disappearance deepened with the death of S Manoj, 46, of Thaikkoottathil, Pallipuram, who was a friend of Sebastian and Bindhu. Manoj was found hanging in his house on June 28, 2018, after the police directed him to appear for questioning.