For the third consecutive day, the Pallikaranai police rummaged through mounds of garbage at the Perungudi dumpyard to retrieve the torso and head of Sandhya, an actor who was murdered by her husband and film director S.R. Balakrishnan.
A police officer said, “We have rummaged through the garbage for three days to trace the remaining parts, but we are yet to find the torso and head.”
The police have deployed two sniffer dogs for the search. Deputy Commissioner of Police, St. Thomas Mount, M.S. Muthusamy personally supervised the work and instructed the police personnel to expedite the search.
The police have also chalked out an action plan with the assistance of conservancy staff to dig the mounds of garbage 7 m deep.
‘Evidence essential’
A retired police officer said, “In the field of police investigation, establishing corpus delicti is vital. No person shall be convicted of a crime on the strength of his confession alone.”
“The crime must be proved by some evidence other than that supplied by the defendant. For successful conviction in the murder case, the torso and head are essential. The prosecution may not be able to establish the case against the accused without crucial material evidence. Moreover, it is difficult to file a chargesheet,” he added.
However, the investigating officer expressed hope that the remaining parts of the woman would be traced soon.
