A team from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of a young dental student and the subsequent death by suicide of her alleged murderer at Nellikuzhi near Kothamangalam town is set to conduct an elaborate evidence collection in Bihar and adjoining Uttar Pradesh with Adithyan, a friend of the prime accused Rakhil.
The five-member team led by the investigation officer and Kothamangalam Station House Officer reached Bihar on Thursday. Adithyan, a close friend and business partner of the key accused, was arrested for travelling with Rakhil allegedly to buy the pistol illegally from Bihar.
“The team will be visiting Patna, Munger, and Varanasi as part of collecting evidence and recording the statements of witnesses and officials there. Various aspects like the arms licence of the weapon suppliers will be looked into,” said K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).
Three arrested
The SIT has so far made three arrests in connection with the tragic incident. Sonu Kumar, 20, a resident of Parsando village in Munger district, and Maneesh Kumar, 23, of Buxar district, were arrested last month. Sonu Kumar was the one who allegedly provided the country-made pistol with which the murder was committed while the latter was the intermediary between Rakhil and Sonu Kumar. Both remain in judicial custody.
Police confident
The police remain confident of having largely wrapped up the investigation and do not expect more arrests at least for the time being. The SIT also remains confident of filing the charge-sheet within the mandatory 90 days, about two months from now.
The 24-year-old BDS student from Kannur, doing her house surgeoncy at a dental college at Nellikuzhi, was shot dead allegedly by Rakhil of Melur in Kannur at a house in the neighbourhood of the campus where the victim was staying as paying guest along with her friends on July 29.
They were reportedly known to each other after meeting over Instagram about a year ago. It was learned that the accused had probably followed the victim and had been moving around in the locality for nearly a month before the incident.
