Kochi: Initial police investigation into the murder of the dental college student at Kothamangalam has revealed that the assailant, Rakhil used a country-made pistol to shoot his estranged lover Manasa before killing himself.

“It was a pistol that was used, but not a genuine one, possibly country-made,” Ernakulam Rural SP K Karthick told Onmanorama.

According to the senior police officer, four rounds and not three, as was initially believed, were fired inside the apartment where Rakhil had confronted Manasa on Friday afternoon.

It appears the assailant had misfired at least one round as only two bullets hit the woman, one on her head and another in the chest. Rakhil had killed himself with a headshot after firing at Manasa.

The police are trying to track the source of the pistol used by Rakhil. The post-mortem of the bodies will be performed at the Kalamassery Medical College.