Arjun was drugged, tortured before murder: accused

Kochi: The probe into the murder of a youth here early this month revealed he was done away with after heavy thrashing. Arjun, who was killed in a gruesome manner, was given excessive amounts of ganja before the murder, the accused told the cops.

The police were told that Kumbalam native Arjun, when under the influence of the narcotic substance, was in no position to resist the attack or cry out aloud. The accused admitted to the police that they too were under the spell of drugs during the crime.

The body of Arjun was later found submerged in the marsh at Nettoor. 

The culprits had started harassing Arjun by questioning him over the death of the brother of Nibin, one of the accused, in a bike accident. The grilling soon turned into a cruel physical torture.

The accused told the police that Arjun fell following a severe blow to his head with a piece of wood. He was subsequently thrashed, leading to his death.

The autopsy report states Arjun’s death was caused after his skull was split. The preliminary report suggests that a heavy object like a rock piece was used to hit the victim on his head. However, the body has decayed, making it difficult to arrive at a final conclusion. It is pointed out that the initial autopsy report may not indicate whether Arjun was buried in the marsh after his death. Only the final report could give clear answers in this regard.

The crime took place after 10 pm on July 2. A 17-year-old who was Arjun's neighbour had taken him to Nettoor on the instructions of the second accused Nibin. Instead of leaving Arjun near the accused, the minor dropped him at another place. According to the police, this was why the minor youth, when questioned, could not provide details of the killers.

Nibin gave a statement to the police that he had planned the murder one year ago. As per the plan, he had struck a friendship with Arjun. In a bike accident that took place last year, Nibin’s brother was killed while Arjun suffered serious injuries. It was after a long treatment at a private hospital costing around Rs 10 lakh that Arjun recovered fully.

All this time Nibin believed that Arjun was responsible for his brother’s death. He also convinced his friends of this. Nibin and his gang soon hatched a plan to kill Arjun based on this assumption. The police have received information that the accused were part of a network bringing drugs to Ernakulam. They also used narcotics.

Vidyan, Arjun’s father, had filed a complaint with the police after his son went missing. However, it is alleged that the police showed little interest in tracing the youth, who was known to be involved in drug trafficking. Following which, Vidyan moved a habeas corpus petition before the court seeking its intervention to find his son.

In the meantime, a rumour spread in the area that a gang based in Nettoor had killed Arjun. When some friends of Arjun questioned one among the accused, the murder came to light and the body was traced. The accused were soon arrested.

The police have approached the court seeking custody of fourt accused. The Ernakulam judicial first-class magistrate has ordered that those arrested should be produced before it on Monday. Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board will take a decision on the fate of the minor involved in the case.