A pair of cheap black sandals and bite marks on the victim’s body helped the police solve the Perumbavoor rape-and-murder case.
The vital breakthrough in the probe into the murder of the Dalit law student emerged after the probe team stumbled upon a pair of sandals from a canal flowing nearby the victim’s house. Forensic examination revealed bloodstains on the plastic footwear and laboratory tests confirmed that it matched with the blood group of the victim.
Saliva matched
The saliva from bite mark on the victim’s body and the bloodstain on the door of her house too matched with the samples of the accused.
Police officers in the Special Investigation Team, which was constituted by the the new LDF government, revealed that a shop owner in Kurupumpady, near Perumbavoor, confirmed that the accused had purchased the sandals from him.
He could not ascertain the identity of the accused in the initial phase of investigation but could recollect the image after the police presented more evidence. The officers also found that a native of Assam who had stayed near the victim’s house had left the place on the night of the incident. Investigators found that the person, one of the many suspects, was constantly on the move. Special teams were then deputed to Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu to nab the accused.
The team also visited numerous hospitals to check injured persons who sought treatment.
From Kancheepuram
He was nabbed from Kancheepuram and the evidence collected was corroborated.
Official estimates said the team verified details of about 20 lakh phone calls and collected fingerprints of nearly 5,000 people. Over 1,500 people were questioned.
