How cracking a murder case unmasked a serial killer

All hearings in the case have been completed. The verdict is expected in February 2025
The investigation team with the serial killer Rajendran (third from right)
The investigation team with the serial killer Rajendran (third from right)
Updated on
4 min read

During another wave of lockdown in February 2022, for the people of Thiruvananthapuram, as equally nerve-wracking as the news of a rampaging new Covid variant was the brutal murder of a young woman near Ambalamukku.

Nedumangad native Vineetha Mol, a staff at a plant nursery here, was found dead with three deep slashes on her neck. The 38-year-old’s body was tucked under a flex banner, seemingly to keep it hidden. By the time it was found, the murderer had already vanished.

With little evidence to go on, the Peroorkada police, led by then CI V Sajikumar, relied on a grainy CCTV clip from the area. The footage showed a man, who had not been seen before in the area, walking along the Ambalamukku-Kuravankonam road. He wore a full-sleeved shirt, trousers, a cap, and because it was Covid, a mask. One other detail stood out — his left hand hung limp as if injured.

“This was our first lead,” recalls Sajikumar. “Also, the missing four-sovereign gold chain that Vineetha used to wear suggested that it was robbery-turned-murder. Further analysis of the footage revealed that the killer had entered the nursery around 11am and left 20 minutes later,” the officer adds.

A CCTV grab from Ambalamukku
A CCTV grab from Ambalamukku

After leaving the nursery, the suspect boarded an autorickshaw to Muttada. Police tracked down the driver, who remembered the man because of his limp hand. The driver also noted that the man spoke broken Malayalam, suggesting he wasn’t a native of Kerala.

With no name or confirmed identity, the police released a sketch and launched a citywide search, focusing on migrant labourers and even more CCTV footage. Then came a breakthrough. A local man sitting on his terrace reported seeing someone matching the suspect’s description. The stranger had approached him, asking mostly through gestures if a nearby pond was safe for bathing.

Shortly after, a new CCTV clip showed a man resembling the suspect but wearing different clothes, hitchhiking on a bike. The bike was traced to Ulloor, where the owner confirmed dropping the man near the Medical College Hospital. Another CCTV clip placed him near the Peroorkada KSRTC bus stand. Meanwhile, abandoned clothes were found in the same pond he had inquired about, confirming that the hitchhiker and the pond visitor were the same person.

Another camera captured him walking near Peroorkada Government Hospital. This time, the police struck gold. Following the trail, officers reached a small hotel. The moment they showed the CCTV image, the staff immediately recognised the man as Rajendran.

Rajendran was a staff at the hotel and had been working there for less than 50 days. No one knew much about him. “The restaurant owner told us he had left for home in Tamil Nadu on Sunday — the same day as the murder — on account of an injury to his hand,” Sajikumar said.

Two days later, in the middle of the investigation, Rajendran returned. He had injured himself further — deliberately shoving his hand into a grinder to make his previous injury seem more convincing. Using this as an excuse, he sought treatment at Peroorkada Hospital, ensuring the hotel staff wouldn’t suspect him. He then left for Tamil Nadu again.

Rajendran, the serial killer
Rajendran, the serial killer

The investigation revealed that Vineetha’s gold chain had been pledged at a private gold loan firm in Anjugramam for Rs 95,000 the very next day after the murder. Police tracked Rajendran to a rented lodge in Tirunelveli and arrested him. His actual home was in Kanyakumari.

A background check in Nagercoil police records revealed that Rajendran wasn’t just a murderer. He was a serial killer. Years ago, in his hometown of Kanyakumari, he had killed three people from the same family. The pattern was identical — throats slit, bodies hidden. He had also been charged with an attempted murder. After serving time, he disappeared into Kerala.

“To our shock, this man was highly educated. A triple MA holder, an NCC cadet, and a cooperative union certificate holder,” Sajikumar says. “It was that first CCTV visual that cracked the case. Without it, this might have remained a mystery. What started as a local murder investigation ended with the unmasking of a serial killer.”

Rajendran was brought to Thiruvananthapuram on January 11, 2022. At first, he refused to cooperate, but under tough interrogation, he confessed to all his crimes. He was sent to judicial custody. All hearings in the case have been completed. The prosecution presented 118 witnesses, none of whom changed their statements. The verdict is expected in February 2025.

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