With the city police taking charge of the Swathi murder case on Monday morning, a different perspective on the investigation has begun to emerge. For instance, the police suspect that the assailant struck at her with the aruval from behind rather than from the front, which rules out any conversation or altercation between them, as was earlier believed.
Police sources said the nature of the injury on the jaw and lack of blood on the suspect’s shirt as seen in the CCTV footage led to the revised conclusion on the direction of attack. “The GRP has given us some leads we are working on that and also collecting new evidence,” added the police officer.
Sources said that the police are digging out footage from the locality to check if the suspect had stalked her on earlier occasions, instead of just on the day of the incident. “We suspect that the accused came through the main entrance. After committing the crime, he scaled the walls and escaped through Sowrashtra Nagar 7{+t}{+h}Cross Street and then the 8{+t}{+h}Street,” said a city police officer. The case will now be investigated by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nungambakkam, K.P.S. Devaraj and his team.
The murder in broad daylight has led to a wave of anger and residents expect the perpetrator to be arrested soon.
The old-school method
Meanwhile, retired cops feel that the thrust should be on old-fashioned investigation, especially in the case where there is no CCTV footage in the station to show what exactly happened. A retired sub-inspector said going back to the drawing board, and relying on traditional means of investigation and physical evidence would prove useful in this case. “If the motive is ascertained, then the clues will easily lead to the culprit. For this, the parents and relatives have to cooperate. Besides, earlier, the police relied on human intelligence and had informants across the city to tip them off,” said the retired sub-inspector.
Criminologists feel forensic experts should have collected evidence from the scene of crime. “Any criminal will leave behind some proof and one has to look for it very carefully. Call records will also give some leads,” said M. Srinivasan, head of department of Criminology, University of Madras.
Moreover, he said the intensity of the attack also showed his frame of mind. “He seemed to be enraged. The weapon is also something that is not commonly used by gangs. The police have to arrive at the motive behind the attack and connect everything,” he added.
The police are also trying to find out about places where such types of aruval (bill hook), which was recovered from the scene of crime, are used. “Plainclothes policemen have been deployed across the city to nab the suspect. His picture has been sent to all the stations. We have also collected digital and physical traces left behind by the suspect,” a police officer explained.
The case will now be investigated by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Nungambakkam, K.P.S. Devaraj and his team
