In a gory reminder of Delhi’s gang rape case, a 29-year old Dalit who was found dead in her house at Eruvichira in Kuruppampady near Perumbavoor last week was brutally tortured, raped and murdered, autopsy and inquest reports revealed.
The victim was preparing for her LLB supplementary examination when she was killed. Her father had abandoned the family when she was seven and she and her mother, who did odd jobs, lived in abject poverty. According to officials, she was tortured with a sharp instrument that pierced her uterus and intestines. Her body bore over than 30 wounds, including 13-cm deep wound around her chest that reaches up to the liver, pointing to brutal torture. She was eventually suffocated to death using a shawl-like cloth, sources said, quoting the inquest report.
They also said the victim’s entrails were taken out of her body by blunt force. At least five of the 30 injuries, one each on her head, back of neck, chest and stomach, were major. Yathish Chandra GH, Superintendent of Police, however, maintained that the police were yet to confirm whether the woman was raped before she was killed.
“It was a violent and brutal murder. The post-mortem report suggests chances of rape but we are waiting for the test report to confirm that. A special team and three sub-teams have been deputed to probe the case,” he said.
Theft attempt ruled out
The police have ruled out the possibility of a theft-attempt leading to the murder, as the victim was from a very poor family. While social media campaigns have begun demanding justice for the victim, the police are yet to make any breakthrough even four days after the crime.
The police suspect the involvement of more than one person, and are looking at the possibility that she might have tortured upon resisting their advances.
``It is still a mystery as to why neighbours did not notice or hear anything unusual from the house’’, a top officer in charge of the probe said.
The body was found at around 8 p.m on April 28 at her home, located in an isolated area near a canal. The police believe that the killing may have taken place between 1 pm and 5 pm on Thursday. The victim was found lying stripped of her churidar bottom.
Meanwhile, several social organisations have announced a march to the office of the Kochi city police Commissioner at 4 pm on Tuesday, demanding that the police expedite the investigation. Eminent public men including Prof MK Sanoo are expected to lead the march.
