Kochi: Jaysey Abraham, a 55-year-old woman who was found dead at an apartment near Kalamassery on November 17, was murdered by an IT employee and his lover for monetary gains, the police revealed on Monday. Gireesh Babu, 45, and his lover Khadeeja, 42, were arrested by the police on Sunday.

The police said the duo, who knew Jaysey for a while, had planned the murder one-and-a-half months ago. Jayesy, a native of Chundikuzhi in Perumbavoor, had been living alone in a rented apartment at Koonamthai near Kalamassery. She was found dead in the bathroom of the flat. Police said that Gireesh visited Jaysey on November 17 by 10.30 am and committed the murder between 12 noon and 1 pm. He went to visit her with liquor, which both of them shared.

“Gireesh murdered Jayesy by hitting her head with a dumbbell he had carried with him in a bag. Then he pulled her body down to the floor from the bed to make it look like a fall. He came out of the flat and locked it from outside using a spare key. He fled the scene wearing a helmet,” City Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya told media on Monday. The officer said Gireesh used to visit Jaysey at her flat. He did not explain what kind of relationship the two shared.

Gireesh is a resident of Thrikkakara and a postgraduate in computer application. Khadeeja lives at Tripunithura and worked in a bakery. They were struggling financially after debts mounted. A police source said Gireesh, who is separated from his wife, has debts of around Rs 80 lakh. They targeted Jaysey, believing she had earned a significant amount of cash from some real estate deal, and kept it in her apartment. However, Gireesh could only steal two gold bangles and two mobile phones.

After the crime, he went to a relative’s house in Angamaly and then to Idukki, where he sold the gold. Police said they could not find any other cash or gold from the house. The police zeroed in on Gireesh based on the CCTV visuals from a house opposite the flat. He came out of the flat after changing his dress and wearing a helmet. Gireesh had chosen Sunday for the crime as no one was expected at the flat that day.

“We showed the visuals to other people who had visited the flat earlier. He has a fat belly, and people identified him from other features too,” a police officer said. Once Gireesh was identified, the police nabbed him from his house, and the involvement of Khadeeja came to light from his call records.

Police said Gireesh monitored the area for several days after the murder. A special investigation team formed by DCP K S Sudarshan, under the supervision of Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya, cracked the case within a week of the incident. The 15-member team was led by Thrikkakara ACP Baby P A and Kalamassery Inspector Latheef M B.