Even as P. Ramkumar, the accused in the murder of Infosys engineer S. Swathi, was sent to the Puzhal prison on Friday evening after three days of police custody, police sources said he had confessed to proposing to Swathi, but she had rebuffed him. He is reported to have told the police that after celebrating his birthday in his hometown on June 20, Ramkumar stole the billhook ( aruval ) from his uncle and came to Chennai.
“He had taken pictures of her when she used to walk past his mansion in 8th Street, Sowrashtra Nagar, Choolaimedu,” the source said.The 14{+t}{+h}Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted the police three-day custody of him on Wednesday.
On Friday, around 3.45 p.m., he was brought to the Egmore court. It is reported that Magistrate S. Gopinathan, spoke to Ramkumar in a room for 30 minutes. R. Kolanchinathan, assistant public prosecutor, filed a detailed confession statement before the Court on behalf of the police. Meanwhile P. Ramaraj, Ramkumar’s lawyer, filed a memo alleging he was not allowed to meet him at the station. He claimed the police had forced Ramkumar to confess.
Around 4.45 p.m., Ramkumar was again sent to judicial custody.
“He will be in Puzhal till July 18 and after this, his custody will be extended,” said a police source.
“He had come to Chennai in September for attending a coaching class to clear his arrear examinations. It was then that he saw Swathi,” claimed a police source.
On Thursday, the police asked Ramkumar if he knew Mohammed Bilal Siddique. “Ramkumar said he did not. Siddique had already submitted his WhatApp messages and social media passwords to the police and also said that he had seen Ramkumar earlier,” said the source.
The police claim to have provided Ramkumar with new clothes. “It was very challenging to interrogate him. Though he cooperated well, he was very withdrawn,” said a police source.
