The special investigation squad probing the murder of a young dental student and the subsequent death by suicide of her alleged murderer at Nellikuzhi near Kothamangalam town last month has arrested two persons from Bihar on charges of abetting the crime.
The arrested were identified as Sonu Kumar, 20, a resident of Parsando village in Munger district, and Maneesh Kumar, 23, of Buxar district.
“Sonu Kumar was the one who provided the country-made pistol with which the murder was committed while the latter was the intermediary between the accused and Sonu Kumar. We are collecting further evidence and completing the formalities to bring them down here on transit warrant,” said K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).
The pistol was allegedly purchased for ₹ 35,000, which was paid in cash. The accused was also given training in using the firearm, it is learned.
The arrets were made following a two-day-long joint operation between the special squad and the Bihar police. Though the accused resisted the arrest, they were overpowered. “We will probe about the accused in detail,” said Mr. Karthik.
A ballistic examination of the firearm had found it to be a 7.62 mm country-made pistol.
Nellikuzhi shooting: firearm used was probably procured from outside State
The five-member team led by two sub inspectors was sent to Bihar a day after the incident after it emerged that the weapon used by the accused was secured from there. The team continues to stay back in Bihar and further probe the case while Mr. Karthik continues to coordinate it with the police chiefs of multiple districts.
The 24-year-old BDS student from Kannur, doing her house surgency at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Nellikuzhi, was shot down by the accused identified as Rakhil, 32, of Melur in Kannur at a house in the neighbourhood of the campus where the victim was staying as paying guest along with her friends on July 29. In a statement given to the police, a friend of the assailant from Kannur said that he had accompanied Mr. Rakhil to Bihar to procure the pistol where they reportedly stayed for over ten days.
Both the victim and the assailant were reportedly known to each other after meeting over Instagram about a year ago. The trip to Bihar had probably taken place just days after Mr. Rakhil had assured the Kannur police last month not to stalk the victim any longer. He was summoned by the police on a petition filed by the victim and her family.
