Dr Omana had killed her boyfriend in Ootty and cut him up into pieces: File photoThiruvananthapuram: The woman who died in Malaysia is not Omana, the doctor who jumped bail and fled the country after killing her boyfriend and cutting him into pieces 21 years ago, the police have clarified.
The police have closed the case after confirming that the woman who died in Malaysia after falling off a building was Merlin Ruby, 37, from Cheriyathura in Thiruvananthapuram and not Dr Omana who is from Payyannur.
Merlin's body was brought from Malaysia and cremated after her death on September 29. But police, who were not aware of this, published an advertisement seeking help to identify the deceased for a second time, creating the confusion.
The crime branch has now collected details of the woman from her relatives and made it clear that it was Merlin who died in Malaysia.
Merlin Ruby had left Kerala looking for a job and was working in an electronics store in Malaysia. She got injured after falling off a building at Subang Jaya Selangor, a suburb, and succumbed to her injuries in a hospital there.
Since authorities there could not find any of her identification documents or contact address, the body was kept in a mortuary for nearly four months.
When they came to know that she was a Keralite, the Pravasi Malayali Association got involved, found out her name and informed the Kerala police with the help of the Indian High Commission.
The police put her photograph in newspapers and social media and Merlin's sister Soja identified her, following which, in consultation with her relatives and the help of the association, the body was brought home on October 18 and cremated at St Antony's Church at Valiyathura.
Meanwhile, the crime branch, which was not aware of her cremation, got a reminder from the Indian High Commission about the case, which prompted them to give an advertisement on Wednesday with a photograph of the deceased.
Since Merlin looked similar to Omana, the Thaliparamba police started a probe on the suspicion that the person who died could be Dr Omana.
Meanwhile, Merlin's death is shrouded in mystery. Her sister said that the reason for her death has not been communicated to them and the accident story was unconvincing.
Merlin was to come home last March for her son's birthday but she couldn’t. She had called her husband in Chennai the day before she met with the accident.
After that she wasn't available on the phone. They also have no information regarding Merlin's financial dealings.
Merlin is the daughter of the late Ruby and Elgin. Her son Jackson is a plus two student at St. Antyony's School in Valiyathura.
In the infamous Dr Omana case, the accused had poisoned and killed her boyfriend in Ooty. She then cut the body into pieces, packed it in a suitcase and hired a taxi to dispose of the remains.
The taxi driver got suspicious and informed the police, bringing the sensational murder to light. She was arrested in 1996 but managed to flee the country when she was out on bail in 2001.
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