Kalikavu, Malappuram: The prime accused in the murder of a 50-year-old Malappuram native said that the victim's wife had prompted him to carry out the murder.
Jaimon and co-accused Ummul Shahira were arrested earlier this week for poisoning the latter's husband Muhammedali 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.
Ummul Shahira allegedly had told Jaimon that she would give 9 cents of land and house in her name, and Muhammendali's cargo vehicle to him if he committed the crime.
Jaimon told the probe team that he had mixed poison, used to kill termites, in the alcohol to commit the murder. He further said that Shahira had given him Rs 1,000 to buy liquor.
Mohammedali died on September 21, 2018. Mohammedali and Jaimon went up to the terrace to drink alcohol around 8pm.
“Once Mohammedali became inebriated, Shahira too turned up at the terrace. It was Shahira who removed the cap of the poison bottle and handed it over. Soon, Mohammedali vomited blood as the poison began to take effect. We duo then lifted him up, took him back to the room, and laid him down on the bed,” Jaimon said.
Jaimon said that he left the house around 2am after ensuring Mohammedali's death.
Though they first plotted to dump the body in the nearby quarry, Ummul Shahira did not agree to this. Then it was decided to tell relatives that Mohammedali had had a heart attack while sleeping.
After questioning, Jaimon was presented before the Manjeri first-class judicial magistrate court and he has been sent in police custody for seven days. The police would file a plea on Thursday, seeking the custody of Shahira. The cops plan to question the duo together.
How the accused were traced
The duo had fled the state, days after the murder. But they were nabbed from Tamil Nadu.
The police did not initially have any leads on the accused. But Jaimon made a phone call to one of his neighbours at Kalikavu to know about the developments in the case, a week ago. Though Jaimon introduced himself as a mediaperson, the neighbour recognised his voice.
The neighbour then gave the details, including the phone number, to the police. With the help of the cyber cell, the police tracked his mobile signal and found that he was at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu.