The police have vastly expanded the scope of their investigation into the rape-murder of a law student at Perumbavoor.
They have verified the whereabouts of at least 234 “felons” released from prisons. Investigators described the crime as a “blind case”. They are yet to zero in on the motive.
A top officer said the vexing question was whether the murder was committed by a “stranger who came knocking” or a person known to the victim.
Neighbour’s statement
The police inference that the assailant could be an acquaintance hinged on the statement of a neighbour. He had overheard the victim yell that “my mistake was to trust people like you”. A loud cry followed the exclamation. At the same instance, he was distracted by a call on his mobile. The police also have found no evidence to suggest that the assailant had forcibly entered the house.
The killer had attacked the victim from behind. He first smothered her and bit her on the shoulder through her dress. Then he strangulated her and finally “knifed her”. The weapon used for committing the crime was yet to be recovered. It could have been a knife from the victim’s own kitchen.
The police said their singular achievement in the case so far was to successfully extract unfamiliar DNA from the saliva residue found on the victim’s dress. It has helped them rule out the role of several persons who were under suspicion.
Aggravated sexual assault
The law student was the victim of an aggravated sexual assault. There were stab wounds on her genitalia. The culprit harboured a strong psychopathic misogynist attitude. The police were analysing several similar crimes reported in the country in the past.
The victim’s family lived on the breadline on a sliver of public land bordering a polluted canal chock-a-block with urban refuse.
They did their private business in public well after dark. Their comparatively well-off neighbours were inimical to them.
The family was not even allowed to draw water from neighbouring wells. The mother’s belief that her neighbours pried on her daughter was unhelpful.
She worked almost 20 hours a day as a domestic help, leaving well before daybreak and arriving late in the night. The family lurched from one meal to another.
Investigators describe the crime as a “blind case” and yet to zero in on the motive.
