Thiruvananthapuram: An 18-year-old ITI student is among three people arrested in the brutal murder of a teenager in Thiruvananthapuram.
The accused are a 17-year-old boy, his female friend Anantha, 18, and Umar, 21, who has a criminal record.
The minor is the primary accused, while Umar and Anantha are the second and third accused, respectively.
Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Arul B Krishna told media persons that further probe was going on to ascertain whether there are more accused in the case.
The process is progressing, and as of now there are only three accused who have been named in the FIR.
The third accused’s involvement is being ascertained as part of further investigation.
A special investigation team has been constituted to probe the case.
The commissioner said Umar is a habitual offender.
He was in jail for six months under the Kerala Antisocial Activities (Prevention) Act, 2007, and was released recently.
The first accused is also involved in three theft cases along with Umar.
Police said the 17-year-old allegedly strangled the victim with a belt at Pangappara after luring him there using Anantha’s phone.
He then called Umar to help dispose of the body, which was later found stuffed in a sack on an abandoned plot near Kamukinkode temple at Sreekariyam on Monday evening.
Investigators said the main accused had initially planned to target a friend of the victim.
After breaking up with his former girlfriend, the teenager began a relationship with Anantha, who was the victim’s friend.
Angered by a photograph of his ex with her new boyfriend, the accused decided to target the latter, believing him responsible for the breakup.
Two days before the murder, the minor took Anantha’s phone and, posing as her, repeatedly messaged the victim to meet at Pangappara.
Despite the victim’s attempts to contact his friend, the targeted individual arrived.
During an argument, the victim tried to flee, but the accused struck him on the head, knocked him down, and strangled him with a belt before seeking Umar’s assistance to dispose of the body.
The victim, a student at a school in Nalanchira and the son of Madhukumar and Dharmaja, left home around 3 pm on Sunday.
He called his family at 7 pm, saying he would return soon, but later switched off his phone.
The family filed a missing person’s complaint.
Messages from Anantha’s account and CCTV footage showing him travelling with the minor led the police to the accused, who confessed and revealed the location of the body.
An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday.
The victim’s family urged the government to ensure a free and fair investigation to uncover the truth.
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