In a dramatic turn of events, the death of a 15-year-old boy in what was believed to be a road accident at Poovachal in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram is now suspected to be a murder, after CCTV footage indicated that the child was deliberately crushed to death. The accused in the case, Priyaranjan (41) from Nalanchira, is a relative of the boy and is currently absconding. The deceased Adhi Shekhar’s family has alleged that Priyaranjan had been harbouring a grudge towards the child for the past three months, ever since Adhi caught him urinating on the premises of a temple and questioned him. The Kattakada police have charged the accused with murder.
It was on August 30 that Priyaranjan’s car, in what was initially presumed to be an accident, mowed down Adhi Shekhar in front of the Sri Bhadrakali temple in Pulingode, killing him on the spot. CCTV visuals distinctly show the slowed-down car suddenly gaining acceleration while Adhi was mounting a bicycle, only to run him over in the next second. Another boy who was accompanying Adhi can be seen jumping to safety as the car whizzed past him.
Though Adhi’s family has alleged that Priyaranjan was seeking revenge, the police are yet to confirm the motive behind the crime. Officers said the trigger for the murder can only be ascertained after the accused is arrested and interrogated. The search for Priyaranjan has now been intensified, though it is suspected that he may have left the country.
Adhi, a Class 10 student of the Kattakada Chinmaya Mission School, is the son of government employees Arun Kumar and Deepa.