Perumbavoor rape-murder victim's mother cries (right) as Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy visits her at Perumbavoor taluk hospital on Wednesday. Photo: Josekutty Panackal/OnmanoramaPerumbavoor: More details of the main suspect emerged on Wednesday in the rape and brutal murder of a 30-year-old dalit woman in Ernakulam district that sparked protest marches by students and activists across Kerala.
A sketch of the suspect, who was seen leaving victim Jisha's residence on the day of the crime, has come out now. The caricature was prepared by collecting details from the eyewitnesses.
One of the witnesses, a labourer who was working near to Jisha's home, told the investigators that the suspect was wearing a yellow shirt and that he fled the area after committing the crime through a canal. The suspect is said to be of 35 years of age. He was earlier arrested in a drug trafficking case, sources said.
It is not clear if he is among the seven persons who are being questioned in police custody.
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Sources suggested that one of the detainees, a hotel employee in Kannur, has similarities with the sketch of the suspect prepared by the police.
CM faces protest
Meanwhile, chief minister Oommen Chandy, who reached the Perumbavoor taluk hospital Wednesday morning to visit the victim Jisha's mother, was blocked by DYFI, SDPI workers. However, surrounded by police and Congress workers, Chandy entered the hospital premises and met Jisha's mother Rajeshwari.
Addressing the media after the visit, Chandy said, "The culprit will be brought to justice. The investigation is being carried out efficiently."
Ruling out a political battle over the case, Chandy said that there is no need to add any other dimension to the case.
At Perumabavoor to meet kin of student who was murdered. Govt to provide help to the family with the permission of Chief Electoral Officer.
— Oommen Chandy (@Oommen_Chandy) May 4, 2016
Rs 10 lakh for family, job for sister
The UDF government decided to give a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the woman's family. The chief minister also said that Jisha's sister will be given a job in Ernakulam district and that the government will seek the Election Commission's advice on how to go about it.
CM has asked the chief secretary to ensure speedy implementation of the financial aid and the job offer.
CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan visits Perumbavoor rape-murder victim's mother at Perumbavoor taluk hospital on Wednesday. Photo: Josekutty Panackal/OnmanoramaVS in Perumbavoor
Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan also visited Rajeshawri, who was hospitalised in a state of shock after Jisha's murder.
Slamming the UDF government, the CPM veteran said that such heinous crimes will continue to happen when the state is ruled by an incompetent administration. VS also demanded that a new team should take over the investigation.
One accused, say police
No formal arrest has been made yet in the crime that shocked the state, triggering intense politicking ahead of the May 16 Assembly polls.
The police had said that the crime was committed by one person.
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ADGP K. Padmakumar on Tuesday said that the police had taken a number of suspects into custody, but said he cannot confirm whether the actual culprit was among them.
Kerala's Nirbhaya
Jisha, a student of Government Law College, Ernakulam, was subjected to rape and brutal assault using sharp edged weapons before being murdered at her house in Perumbavoor on April 28. She was found dead in a pool of blood in her one-room house when her mother returned from work around 8 pm that day.
Ernakulam Range IG Mahipal Yadav on Tuesday said there were signs of strangulation, smothering and 13 injuries on the woman's neck, chest and at several other places of the body.
Reports said the victim's intestines were spilled out.
The crime has been dubbed 'Kerala's Nirbhaya' for its chilling similarities to the gang-rape in 2012 of a young Delhi student on a moving bus. The Delhi girl had succumbed to her injuries later.
Women's rights activists and political leaders, cutting across party lines expressed their shock at the murder which they believe was a first of its kind in the state for the sheer brutality of the crime.
(With agency inputs)
