Almost two weeks after a 21-year-old youth was found murdered in the Karamana area in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala police on Sunday managed to arrest all 14 accused in the case.
Anandhu Gireesh, a native of Konchiravila in Thiruvananthapuram was found dead near a bike showroom near Kaimanam on the Karamana - Kaliyikkavila national highway in the district on March 13.
When the body was discovered by the police, it was found that the nerves in his hands had been cut. Also, the place from where his body was discovered is known to be a hangout spot of drug peddlers and users, about which the police had received complaints from locals in the past. Because of this, the police had also begun investigating the possibility of whether the crime was committed under the influence of drugs. The Kerala police, under the leadership of the city Police Commissioner had also started, “Operation Boult”, to counter the drug menace in the district.
Speaking to TNM following the arrest of the accused, a police official at the Karamana police station said, “All the 14 who accused have been arrested, out of which 10 were directly involved in the murder, while the others were part of the conspiracy.”
“The accused have been arrested under sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” said the police official.
Police said that the accused will be questioned further on Monday to collect more evidence in order to strengthen the case.
From the preliminary investigations, it was found that a clash had occurred between Anandhu’s group and another group from Neeramankara during the Konchiravila temple festival, a day before he was murdered, and this is believed to be the reason behind the crime.
The news of Anandhu’s abduction came to light after one of his friends received a phone call from Anandhu’s number informing him about the same. Soon after this, Anandhu’s mobile phone was switched off.