The Central Bureau of Investigation submitted the charge-sheet in the Sulekha murder case before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here on Friday.
Sulekha of Pattimattom had been found dead near her house with her throat slit and her gold ornaments missing in July 2006. The CBI has named three persons – Abdul Kareem, 46, Kunjithee Abdul Kareem, 52, and Valsalakumari, 54 – as accused in the case.
Kunjithee had been a butcher in the area and Abdul Kareem was his assistant. According to the CBI report, Abdul Kareem had been having an illicit affair with Valsalakumari. The two had allegedly arranged to meet at a place where firewood was being stored at the rubber estate where the murder took place. Kunjithee happened to walk by when the two were meeting and joined them.
When Sulekha came into the shed to collect firewood on the day, she is said to have found the three accused in a compromising position. A scuffle ensued and the accused killed Sulekha using a knife during the struggle. They allegedly stole the gold ornaments to mislead the police. Valsalakumari later named the estate owner and his brother as the killers when she was questioned.
The CBI said locals found the murder weapon in a canal near where the murder took place.
