Thiruvananthapuram: The trial in the Ooruttambalam double murder case, in which a young woman and her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter were allegedly killed by being thrown into the sea 15 years ago, will begin on Thursday. The case will be heard by Anit Joseph, judge of the Seventh Additional Sessions Court, Thiruvananthapuram.

Manu alias Mahinkannu (45), of Mahin Manzil, Poovar, and his wife Rukiya (38) are the first and second accused, respectively. The victims were Divya (23) and her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Gauri, who lived at Ambika Vilas, Vellurkonam, in Maranalloor village. The incident took place on August 18, 2011.

Divya, who was in a relationship with Mahinkannu, had been living with him in a rented house at Ooruttambalam. After Divya became pregnant, Mahinkannu left the country. He returned after she gave birth and resumed living with her. Meanwhile, Divya learnt that Mahinkannu was already married, leading to frequent quarrels between them.

According to the prosecution, Mahinkannu feared that Divya and the child would pose a threat to his first family. His wife, Rukiya, allegedly asked him to get rid of the two, following which they jointly plotted the murders.

On the day of the incident, Divya had informed her mother, Radha, and sister, Sharanya, that she was leaving with Mahinkannu along with the child. The two were subsequently reported missing. Although complaints were lodged at the Poovar and Maranalloor police stations, Mahinkannu allegedly convinced the police that Divya was in Velankanni and that he would bring her back. He then fled abroad again.

The prosecution case is that Mahinkannu took Divya and the child in an autorickshaw from Ooruttambalam to the deserted Edappadu beach in Vilavancode and killed them by pushing them into the sea.

The Tamil Nadu police recovered the bodies of Divya and her daughter from the shores of Thengapattanam and Colachel. The Thiruvananthapuram District Crime Branch filed the chargesheet in the case.

The prosecution will examine 109 witnesses and has submitted 104 documents before the court. Special Public Prosecutor M Salahuddin will appear for the prosecution.