KOTTAYAM: In a major breakthrough, the police tracked down the prime suspect in the brutal murders of 70-year-old businessman Vijayakumar and his wife Meera in Thiruvathukkal, Kottayam, using the digital footprint left behind on the victim’s mobile phone.
The arrested individual is Amit Urang, a migrant labourer and former employee of Vijayakumar. A native of Assam, Amit was taken into custody by a team led by District Police Chief Shahul Hameed. According to officials, Amit fled the scene shortly after committing the murder, carrying Vijayakumar’s mobile phone with him.
The police were able to trace Amit’s movements using his digital activity on the phone. “The suspect’s use of Google services and Gmail on Vijayakumar’s phone played a critical role in tracing his location,” said an official. “We were able to follow his digital trail and stay right behind him as he tried to vanish.”
After the crime was reported, the police established that Amit had travelled by train from Kottayam to Ernakulam and then boarded a bus to Perumbavoor. From there, he attempted to reach Thrissur by another bus. However, his movements were closely tracked and the police finally apprehended him in Mala, Thrissur district.
“Soon after the murders, he checked into a lodge near Kottayam railway station in the early hours of the morning. From there, he continued his escape to Perumbavoor and beyond,” a police official said.
Vijayakumar and Meera were found murdered in their home on Tuesday morning. Both were discovered in separate rooms, lying in pools of blood, their faces bearing deep wounds inflicted by a sharp weapon.
Further investigation revealed that Amit had previously been arrested and remanded for nearly five months in a case of financial theft using Vijayakumar’s phone. During his time in jail, his girlfriend parted ways with him, a development investigators believe may have contributed to his motive for the killings.