Rajendran, 40, from Tamil Nadu, was found guilty on Thursday for the murder of Vineetha, 38, a resident of Karipur, Nedumangadu. Thiruvananthapuram Additional Sessions Court - VII Judge Prasoon Mohan pronounced him guilty on multiple charges of murder, destruction of evidence, robbery with an attempt to cause death and criminal trespass. The court will declare his sentence on April 21.

The prosecution told the court that it was the rarest of rare cases. The court has sought reports from various government bodies regarding Rajendran. The District Collector will submit a report on whether he would commit violent acts in the future or if there was any way to reform him. A report will also be sought from the psychiatrist and psychologist of the Government Mental Hospital, Peroorkada. District probation officers of Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram will submit a social assessment of his life.

A report on Rajendran's behaviour in the prison will be sought from the Superintendent of the Central prison, Thiruvananthapuram. The Thiruvananthapuram city police commissioner has been asked to submit a report on his criminal antecedents. The prosecution has also been directed to submit a report on his assets. All reports shall be submitted to the court in a sealed envelope within seven days. 

Vineetha, who worked at an ornamental plant shop in Ambalamukku near Peroorkkada, was killed in broad daylight on February 2, 2022.

 According to the prosecution, Rajendran fatally stabbed Vineetha inside the shop in an attempt to snatch her gold chain that weighed 4.5 sovereigns.

A chilling pattern emerged during the investigation, as it was found that Rajendran, who had invested in online stock trading, committed murders whenever he ran short of funds. He had previously murdered Customs officer Subbaiah, his wife Vasanthi, and their 13-year-old daughter Abhishree in Vellamadam in Tamil Nadu in a similar manner. Out on parole at the time of Vineetha's murder, Rajendran had travelled to Peroorkkada to work in a hotel and targeted the unsuspecting woman.

Vineetha, who had lost her husband to a heart attack, had taken up the job at the plant shop just nine months before her death. On the day of the incident, she had gone to the shop to water the plants despite ongoing pandemic restrictions. Rajendran approached her pretending to be a customer, and while she was showing him around, he attacked her from behind and slit her throat.

Rajendran’s method involved making deep incisions in the vocal cords of his victims to prevent them from screaming during the attack. This modus operandi had also been used while murdering the Customs officer and his family. During the trial, forensic experts and Tamil Nadu police officers, who had worked on the Vellamadam investigation, testified in court.

After murdering Vineetha, Rajendran went into hiding and took refuge at a lodge near Kaval Kinaru in Tamil Nadu. He was arrested on February 11 by a team led by then Peroorkkada Circle Inspector V Sajikumar. During the investigation, the police recovered Vineetha’s gold chain, which had been pledged at a nearby private finance firm.

With no eyewitnesses to the crime, the prosecution built its case on scientific and circumstantial evidence. Of the 118 listed witnesses, 96 testified. The prosecution also submitted 222 documents, including 12 pen drives tracing Rajendran’s movements and seven DVDs.

Special Public Prosecutor M Salahuddin, Advocates Devika Madhu, J Fasna, and OS Chithra appeared for the prosecution. VS Dinaraj led the investigation, then Assistant Commissioner of Cantonment, under the supervision of former Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar. The team also included Circle Inspector V Sajikumar, Juvanapudi Mahesh IAS (then acting Station House Officer), Sub-Inspector S Jayakumar, and Senior Civil Police Officers Pramod R and Noufal Rafeeq.