The Crime Branch team probing the death of 18-year-old Mishel Shaji Varghese has received one more statement from a friend of Mishel that the girl had experienced ‘harsh behaviour’ from Cronin Alexander, accused of abetting Mishel’s suicide. He had also prevented her from interacting with other male friends.
Sources said the incident occurred when the youth had been pursuing an entrance coaching course in Kottayam along with the girl. As per the statement, Cronin had called him twice to threaten him and also sought details of other boys she had been interacting with.
Earlier, a hostel mate of Mishel had told the interrogators of Cronin putting Mishel under immense pressure mentally.
With the investigations so far failing to yield any major breakthrough, the Crime Branch team are now looking for a possible witness to the girl jumping off the second Goshree bridge.
Investigators are of the view that the girl jumped off the bridge around 7.45 p.m. on March 5, when there was a heavy traffic along the route. ‘‘Had she jumped off the bridge at this time, there is every possibility of at least one driver seeing the incident,’’ they said.
Earlier, Amal Wilfred, a native of Vypeen, had given a statement to the police that he saw a girl near the second Goshree bridge around 7 p.m. during the day. Later, the police also collected CCTV visuals of a girl resembling Mishel heading to the Goshree Bridge around 7 p.m.
Despite this, the investigators are yet to confirm whether the girl seen by Amal and captured by the CCTV cameras was Mishel or not. Sleuths are also considering the possibility of identifying the girl’s location during the time by verifying the mobile tower details.
Earlier on Tuesday, the investigators carried out inspection in a private firm where Cronin had been working then. The inspection was based on Cronin’s statement that he had been in Chattisgarh on the day when Mishel went missing.
During inspection, the sleuths examined the computer used by Cronin and collected details from it.
