Malappuram: A 42-year-old woman and her lover have confessed that they plotted for months to carry out the murder of her husband, Mohammedali, at Kalikavu in Kerala's Malappuram district in 2018.
In their statements to the police, Ummul Shahira and Jaimon admitted that they poisoned Mohammedali to lead a life together.
The accused have been arrested from Tamil Nadu.
Ummul Shahira is the second wife of Mohammedali. The couple along with their two children lived at a rented quarters at Moochikal. Mohammedali died on September 21, 2018.
Mohammedali and Jaimon had drinks together on the terrace of the house on that night. Jaimon told the police that he had poured poison into the glass instead of alcohol and gave it to Mohammedali. After ensuring that he was dead, Jaimon cleaned his body and clothes, and laid down the body on the cot and left. The couple also hid the liquor bottles and destroyed all evidence.
Early next day, Shahira called her relatives, who lived nearby, and told them that Mohammedali died after he suffered a heart attack while sleeping. The relatives too believed it to be a natural death.
Shahira also convinced the relatives not to take him to hospital as he had been drinking.
Four days after his demise, Ummul Shahira and her children went missing, and the relatives got suspicious.
After it came to be known that Jaimon too had gone missing, news spread that the duo had eloped. Soon Mohammedali's son from the first wife, filed a complaint with the police, raising suspicion about the death.
The victim's body was exhumed and a post-mortem held. After traces of poison were found in the body, the internal organs were sent for chemical tests. After the test results got delayed, the probe into the death slackened.
Villagers then formed an action council, seeking to unravel the mystery and nab the culprits at the earliest. Complaints were also filed with the Chief Minister and the DGP.
Then the district Crime Branch took over the case.
The cops were able to locate an old mobile number of Jaimon, that proved to be crucial to the case. With the help of the cyber cell, the mobile signal was checked and found that he was in Sivakasi and Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.
The police reached Sivakasi on Monday and located Shahira and her two children. Though Jaimon managed to give the cops a slip, he was nabbed from Dindigul on Tuesday. Ummul Shahira was presented in court and remanded. The children have been moved to safe centres. Malappuram SP U Abdul Karim said that Jaimon would be presented in court on Wednesday.
Jaimon accused in 20 cases
Jaimon, a native of Unnakavu in Pathanamthitta, is an accused in 20-odd cases at various police stations in the state. Cases have been registered against him at the stations in Kannur, Idukki, and Kottayam districts. Three of these are abuse cases. He had also undergone prison term for molesting a girl in Idukki.
Jaimon got acquainted to a Kalikavu native at the Kozhikode Medical College two years ago. That's how he reached this Malappuram village and stayed for rent near Mohammedali's house. He also became friends with Mohammedali and the duo started drinking together. He became close to Ummul Shahira around six months before the murder.
The couple told the police that they had been plotting the murder for months.
Crime Branch DySP N V Abdul Khadar led the team, comprising CI P Jyothindra Kumar, SI C Naushad, ASI Arun Shah, CPO P Asif, K Krishakumar, K Sreekumar, and P Niyas.