THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police have officially announced that the death of a 15-year-old boy at Poovachal near Kattakada on August 30, which was initially thought to be a road accident, was murder.
Adishekhar, a Class X student, was killed after being mowed down by an electric car driven by his distant relative Priyaranjan. The initial assessment was that it was a case of negligent driving.
However, CCTV visuals revealed the boy was deliberately mowed down by Priyaranjan.
On the basis of this evidence, the police have now confirmed that it was a case of cold-blooded murder.
Kattakada DySP N Shibu told the media that the family members of the deceased teen had expressed doubts over the death.
"There is a witness account of Priyaranjan being told not to urinate near a temple in the locality by the boy. It was in vengeance that he ran over the boy. The subsequent phone calls he made and the act of going absconding further cemented our doubts. Now we have booked a case of murder against Priyaranjan, " the DySP said.
Adishekhar was riding a bicycle with his friend in front of his house when he was killed. CCTV visuals show the accused in his car speeding towards the boy as he mounts his bicycle. The driver of the car then rams into the boy on the bicycle and runs over him.
The teenager was brought dead to the hospital.
One of the relatives of the boy said that Priyaranjan had parked his car across the road to pose a hurdle in taking the boy to the hospital. Later, Priyaranjan moved his car from the spot and discarded it near Peyad.
Priyaranjan works in a Gulf country and was visiting Kerala to celebrate the Onam festival.
The DySP said they have started a manhunt for the accused Priyaranjan and are checking whether he had any criminal antecedents.
"We have found that he has no criminal cases against him in our sub-division limit. Whether he has any cases in other limits, we are checking," he added.