Kottayam: A woman from Mundakayam here disclosed on Sunday that she saw Jesna in a lodge two days before her disappearance. The woman, a former lodge employee in Mundakayam, reported that a young man accompanied Jesna on the day she was last seen.
Jesna Maria James, a 20-year-old second-year student who has been missing for the past six years, left her house at Mukkoottuthara on March 22, 2018, and went missing without a trace. She was last seen boarding a bus from Erumeli.
"I remember seeing a girl on that day, but it was only when I saw her photo in the newspaper that I realised the resemblance to Jesna. The girl, who looked like Jesna, was at the lodge for about four hours. I provided this information during the crime branch investigation."
The woman added that the girl said she was there to write a test, and the young man with her was described as pale and thin. The woman mentioned she was unsure if she had seen him again since then. "The lodge owner, Biju, threatened me when I questioned him about the girl," she said.
Biju said that many people visited the lodge and instructed her not to discuss the matter. The girl was wearing pink clothing and stayed in room 102. The Mundakayam resident also noted that the room was given without entering the details in the lodge's register.
However, in response to the woman's claims, lodge owner Biju denied all allegations. Speaking to the media, he suggested that the woman's claims were motivated by a personal grudge. "No one resembling Jesna visited the lodge during that time. I have already informed the CBI and crime branch about this," Biju said. He further stated that he and other locals were questioned as part of routine procedures.
"This lodge has no connection to the Jesna missing case. All visitor details are recorded, and the other allegations raised by the woman are baseless," he said.
Jesna's father dismissed the claims made by the woman as baseless and an attempt to hinder the investigation. He stated that the girl mentioned by the woman is not Jesna.
"I received a call from this woman or her friend a month ago. My friend investigated their claims and found them to be false," Jesna's father said. He also emphasised that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is thoroughly investigating Jesna's case.