How a journalist played a part in getting justice for a European murdered in Kerala

Sunith Sukumaran, a Thiruvananthapuram-based journalist, had been helping Ilze, the sister of the Latvian woman who went missing and was later found killed in Kovalam in 2018.
Sunith Sukumaran
Sunith Sukumaran
Written by:

Ilze was in tears when she first met Sunith in 2018 soon after her sister went missing. The death of a 33-year-old Latvian woman garnered international attention after it was proved that she was raped and murdered. The Additional Sessions Court in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, December 6 sentenced the two accused in the case to life imprisonment. The court found the two accused, Umesh (27) and Udayan (31) guilty of all charges including rape, murder, abduction, and destruction of evidence on Friday. The victim’s sister Ilze Skromane was instrumental in fighting the case, and it was Sunith Sukumaran, a Malayali journalist, who stood with her, extending the kind of support she needed.

“I met Ilze when I was in Thiruvananthapuram in 2018 as part of a start-up that was also running an English news channel. She asked if I could help with the story when her sister went missing. I did the story and helped in whatever way possible. She was in tears and that evoked sympathy in me. The next day too, I helped her in designing posters and other things. It (the search for the woman) continued for 30 days. We became good friends in the meantime. I became a driver, a guide, a personal assistant, and a journalist as and when needed. I was with her till she returned to Latvia in May 2018,” Sunith told TNM.

The Latvian woman was living in Ireland and came to Kovalam in February 2018 for Ayurvedic treatment and went missing in March. Her body was found decomposed and beheaded in a mangrove forest at Thiruvallam near Kovalam in April 2018. Six men were taken into custody by the police who arrested two of them – Umesh and Udayan – who were released on bail soon after as the police delayed filing a chargesheet.

“We all are aware of the troubles a woman can face, especially when it is a foreigner who does not know the local language or places. I was scared that she would be in danger if she ventured alone and that prompted me to help her. I used my contacts as a journalist with the belief that this would help to fight the case. This helped with the investigation which was a relief for her,” said 35-year-old Sunith.

Sunith, who works with Doordarshan, admitted that being a journalist had a positive impact on fighting the case. “Ilze told me several times that none would have stood with her as I did. Her parents were keen on Ilze returning to Latvia as they had already lost one child. The parents were aware of the developments and they allowed Ilze to continue here only with the confidence that I was with her,” Sunith recalls. Ilze flew back home with the ashes of her sister, who was cremated in Thiruvananthapuram. She later returned to Kerala and moved the High Court in 2021 to expedite the trial.

“When the hearing began, the accused got support from certain corners. This impacted the family adversely. They were scared to send Ilze back to India and they did it only because I was here. By that time, Ilze had become close to my parents and my friends. From the beginning, the accused got support from their religious community, they even held a press meet and they attempted to pressure the police,” Sunith added. During the search, Sunith kept reassuring Ilze that her sister would be found even though he had begun to suspect something might have gone wrong. “I told her that a tourist would not be killed in my land. But then, her body was discovered more than a month after she went missing,” he recalled.

“Ilze was so determined to find her. From the very day her sister went missing, she started searching in Kovalam and nearby beaches. The victim was someone who used to walk a lot as it gave her relief even when she was depressed. Ilze feared that she would have fainted due to sunstroke while walking, or would have collapsed or been kidnapped. I had no clue about what could have happened, so I just helped her with whatever she asked,” Sunith described.

Sunith recalled how Ilze searched beaches from Mangalore in Karnataka to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu in summer under the scorching sun. Ilze would not even drink water and Sunith found himself struggling to match her pace. According to him, Ilze was sure that her sister wouldn't die by suicide in an alien land and that she would return if she came to know about the widespread search for her as she never would allow state resources to be used on her.

It was a relief for Ilze when her sister’s body was traced on April 30, because she was beginning to fear that her family would have a long wait to know what happened to her. When she heard the news, she was very calm. “I thought she would break down, but she was unusually calm and in control. The body was found on Ilze’s birthday. She was 100% sure after seeing the body that her sister had not died by suicide. The body was found in a very secluded place. Ilze and I walked to this place from where the victim came by auto, to figure out if it was possible to walk to that place. She also examined the premises and when she met the media she said that her sister was killed.”

There were also attempts to portray the victim as a drug addict. “It was not true. She used to have a life different from what we assume to be led by Westerners. She was involved in several charity works and was a good human being. People from Ireland even raised funds to find her with an international agency,” he asserted.

Dr Sasikala, former head of forensics at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, in June this year, deposed before the court that the death of the woman was not by suicide. Dr Sasikala stated that the injuries clearly indicated a case of homicide. Advocate G Mohanraj, who handled the prosecution case in the deaths of Uthara and Vismaya was the Special Public Prosecutor in this case too.

“The crucial role in the trial was that of Special Public Prosecutor Mohanraj. From the beginning of the trial, I was there at the court attending the hearing. The prosecutor anticipated that witnesses might turn hostile and prepared accordingly. Two witnesses did turn hostile and impacted the case adversely. The most crucial evidence to crack the case was the post-mortem report. The homicide was established through meticulous cross-examination. These would seem simple viewing from the outside. But the prosecutor presented them so aptly at the court. This proved crucial for the case,” Sunith said.

Manoj Abraham, who is now the Additional Director General of Police, was updating Ilze on the developments of the case. The officer also assured her that the accused would get a befitting sentence. “The trial could be completed in four years because of the follow-up by the sister and because of the determined approach by the investigating team. At least six officers, who were part of the investigating team, were designated by Manoj Abraham throughout the trial,” he added.

Sunith was confident that the accused would get the maximum sentence from what he gathered from the prosecution's part. “I am so happy they got the maximum sentence.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com