33-year-old NA Ajaz, a Civil Police Officer (CPO) at the Aluva Traffic police station in Kerala, has been suspended from service after he allegedly hacked and burnt to death Soumya Pushpakaran, a woman police officer in Vallikunnam, in the Mavelikara taluk of Alappuzha district.
Ajaz, who is currently undergoing treatment at the Alappuzha Medical College, according to a report by The New Indian Express, was issued the suspension order on Tuesday by the Ernakulam Rural Superintendent of Police (SP), K Karthik, based on a preliminary investigation into the incident. The report states that as per the preliminary investigations, the crime was committed after the woman police officer declined Ajaz’s proposal to marry him.
34-year-old Soumya, who is a mother to three children, was stabbed and set on fire in broad daylight on Saturday. Speaking to TNM, SI Shaiju Ibrahim of the Vallikunnam police station had earlier said that both Ajaz and Soumya had been friends for three years. “The friendship turned bitter when Soumya realized that it would affect her family life. Ajaz wanted her to marry him, and to leave her husband and children, which Soumya rejected. She then stopped answering his calls and she blocked him on Whatsapp as well. This made Ajaz agitated,” said Shaiju.
It has also been alleged that the crime was pre planned. “His intention was to kill himself as well. He first poured petrol on himself, he then stabbed her, poured petrol on Soumya and set her on fire. He sustained forty percent burns,” said Shaiju Irbahim.
The Alappuzha judicial first class magistrate had recorded the statements of Ajaz on Sunday after he told the doctors in the Alappuzha Medical College that he was able to speak to the Magistrate.
As per a report by The Hindu, the decision to suspend Ajaz was taken after the team which is probing the case submitted a report to SP K Karthik, who said that a team would be formed for the departmental-level inquiry against the police officer.