13-year-old girl planned grandfather’s murder with boyfriend to steal gold, cash in Kerala

A 13-year-old girl allegedly planned the murder of her 65-year-old grandfather in Kerala’s Alappuzha district with her 17-year-old boyfriend and two of his friends to steal gold and other valuables, police said on Tuesday. The four allegedly planned to sell the gold and use the money to buy iPhones and bikes, they said.

The girl stayed in a separate house with other relatives, while her grandfather, Sivankutty Chettiyar, lived alone in a rented house in Karuvatta village, officials aware of the matter said. Other family members were out of town when the alleged murder took place on August 15, they added.

“The girl, her boyfriend and the two other boys, aged 16 and 17, were detained on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the murder. They were charged with offences including murder for gain under the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Tuesday,” said Alappuzha superintendent of police (SP) Vishnu Pratheep TK.

The SP added that the authorities will examine whether the three minor accused can be tried as adults under the JJ Act.

The victim was found dead on August 17, two days after the alleged murder, the SP said. Neighbours alerted police after he did not step out of the house for two days.

“We got information from locals and neighbours about a suspected death inside the house on Monday (August 17). We found the victim’s hands and legs tied with cloth and knew instantly that it was a murder. Multiple teams were formed, and all angles were explored. The 13-year-old girl came into the picture while taking statements from close relatives of the deceased, and we found her testimony contradictory to others,” the SP added.

The girl then confessed to the crime after several rounds of questioning, police said.

The SP said the girl coordinated the plan from her home while the three boys entered the house through a rear ventilator shaft. The victim was smothered with cloth after a scuffle, they said.

“The boyfriend and two of his friends were directly involved in the murder while the girl guided them from her home. They entered the home through a ventilator shaft on the backside. There was a scuffle and the victim was smothered to death. Even though the motive was robbery, the girl specifically directed her boyfriend to kill her grandfather. We have evidence of the boyfriend video-calling the girl and showing her the victim post murder,” the SP said.

About 4.5 sovereigns of gold were recovered from the accused’s houses in Kollam and a pawn shop, police said. The accused also allegedly sprayed chilli powder at the scene to mislead investigators.

The girl had also allegedly told her boyfriend that her grandfather had touched her inappropriately. “It’s a claim. We are investigating it,” Pratheep said. Police said the girl has no previous criminal history but had been reported missing several times.