Kochi: The police have identified the photograph of Anarul Islam, friend of a migrant labourer arrested in the Jisha murder case, even as a team returned empty-handed after a three-week search for him in his home district in Assam.
Ameerul Islam, the accused in the case, has told the police that he got drunk with Anarul and another friend on the day he killed Jisha in her house near Perumbavoor. The police team wound up its search operations in Assam as they are yet to get any evidence connecting Anarul with the crime.
However, Anarul’s photo was found at the Perumbavoor police station, where he had given it for an identity card as part of the Jana Maithri safety project in February last year. The labourer never collected his card though.
Ameer identified Anarul’s photo.
Anarul’s relatives said he had come home after the day of the murder. The phone number he had submitted along with the photo was used in Hyderabad on April 28, the day Jisha was found dead. He might have given the SIM card to someone else, the police suspect.
The police think they have enough evidence to pin down Ameerul in the case. They have found the weapon of murder and the accused has led the police to the place where he had abandoned the knife, a crucial link in any murder investigation. His DNA has also been matched against the samples found on the crime scene.
The police may petition the court on Monday to grant them Ameer’s custody in a case related to violating a goat.