Teen, 2 others held for killing Keralam minor; SIT to probe case

A 17-year-old boy and his 18-year-old girlfriend were on Tuesday taken into custody in connection with the murder of another 17-year-old boy, whose body was found stuffed into a sack and dumped in an abandoned plot on the outskirts of Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram a day earlier, said police.

A 22-year-old repeat offender was arrested for allegedly participating in the killing, they said. The prime accused was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Tuesday, which sent him to a shelter home till November 10.

Meanwhile, the state government announced that a special investigation team (SIT) under the Sreekaryam circle inspector would probe the case. Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, city police commissioner Arul B Krishna said the prime accused allegedly confessed that the murder was spurred by the end of his relationship with another girl, who subsequently began a relationship with a friend of the victim.

Police said the victim’s family reported him missing after he failed to answer calls late on Sunday.

“The prime accused used his former girlfriend’s Instagram account to ask the victim to meet her at the abandoned plot in Pangappara. When he arrived there, he met both accused, who ordered him to call his friend to the spot. He called him twice but the latter refused to come,” said one of the investigating officers.

“Subsequently, an altercation ensued. When the victim tried to escape, the accused attacked him and strangled him to death. They dumped his body in a sack and fled,” the officer added.

Investigators said the prime accused allegedly told his accomplice that he would own up to the murder without facing serious charges as he was a juvenile, and would not reveal the accomplice’s role. However, their interrogations indicated that both participated in the killing. “One of them used his hands, and the other used a belt to strangle the victim,” said the commissioner, adding that this was corroborated by the findings of the post-mortem examination.

Both were charged in connection to multiple cases of theft earlier, he said.“We will try to get a special prosecutor appointed and see if we can treat the juvenile accused as an adult,” added the commissioner

The 18-year-old woman was likely aware of the murder plot, and arrested and charged with conspiracy as a result, he said.