More than four-and-a-half months after taxi driver Ethiraj (61) from Udhagamandalam was found murdered in his car near Saibaba Colony, the city police arrested a 26-year-old man from Pathanamthitta, in Kerala. He was a passenger in the victim’s car and had committed the murder with the help of his friend. The police were on the look out for the latter.
City Police Commissioner A. Amalraj said that Anoop, a broiler chicken stall owner, went to Udhagamandalam on March 6 with his ailing mother Vanaja alias Laila (48) who suffered from cancer, pregnant wife Sinju (24) and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and another man (the co accused in the case).
While the other accused was not named, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) S. Lakshmi said that the other man accompanied the family and was taking care of Vanaja at the hospital. A CCTV at Charing Cross in Udhagamandalam shows the accused discussing with the victim at the taxi stand there before leaving the place with the passengers.
Ethiraj loved his car and was money minded. He suffered night blindness and does not take trips late in the evening. In the evening, Anoop volunteered to drive the car and offered more money. Anoop allegedly drove the vehicle in a rash and negligent manner, causing minor damages to the car. Meanwhile, the other accused reportedly dirtied the vehicle. Agitated over these events, Ethiraj argued with them.
According to the police, on reaching GCT Junction on Thadagam Road here, Vanaja, Sinju and the girl got down to ease themselves, when Anoop and the other man beat Ethiraj on his head and strangulated him to death using a shawl. Later, the duo returned to Kerala with the other passengers, who are said to be unaware of the murder.
With the image, the police tried to match it with ex-convicts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Two special teams led by Assistant Commissioner R. Ramesh Krishnan were on the look out for the accused.
At the same time, a technical team led by inspector C. Chandrasekaran analysed the calls received by the victim. The last three calls he had received were from different numbers. On inquiring the persons to whom it belonged, they realised that Anoop had borrowed their mobiles stating that he wants to make some emergency calls – as his mother was ill.
The Kerala police too was on the look out for Anoop in connection with an abduction case. Anoop was also booked by the Dindigul police on the charge of cheating a woman by fleeing with her jewellery. In all these places, he used his mother’s illness to create sympathy from his victims. With these clues, an intensive search was launched and Anoop was nabbed at Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district a couple of days ago.
On Thursday, Anoop was lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison under judicial custody.
