Police have recovered a hair strand that may be crucial evidence on the suspected murder and could lead to arrest.
Thiruvananthapuram: A hair strand, which was picked up by forensic experts from a noose found at the wooded area from where the putrefying body of missing Latvian national Liga Skromane was recovered, is suspected to be that of one of the prime suspects.
The hair strand may be crucial evidence on the suspected murder and could lead to arrest once its DNA report is out.
The doctors who performed autopsy on the body had indicated that strangulation could be a reason for her death.
The noose made of some wild vines was spotted from the crime scene on Thursday as police personnel and forensic experts continued their search in the area to gather more evidence.
As many as seven persons have been picked up by the investigating team for questioning. It is learnt that most of them are members of a drug racket in the area. The police suspect that a few of them might be directly involved in the crime.
Local people have confirmed that some of them used to frequent the area. It is suspected that they might have seen the body inside the mangrove forest before it was recovered last Friday. A cash reward had been announced for information on the missing woman, but surprisingly, none of them passed on the information to the police.
The police did not give much weight to the testimonies from local people that they had seen Liga coming out of the mangrove forest. It is suspected that there are deliberate efforts to mislead the investigation and divert the attention of the police.
Yoga instructor is a suspect
A yoga instructor, who is now in police custody, is also a suspect in Liga's death. He was found along with Liga a few times at Kovalam and Varkala. This Kovalam resident doubles up as a tourist guide also as he is well-versed in English. He often accompanies overseas tourists to different places. He was found in the area until a couple of weeks back.
The police are probing if this suspect had visited the resort at Varkala where Liga was staying.
Hanging bid failed?
Circumstantial evidence suggests the murderer could have tried to hang Liga from a tree branch. The police are probing this possibility as her rotting body was found resting against a tree. Her body could have snapped from the rope and hence was also found slightly tilted towards the creepers near the tree. Forensic experts scanned the tree in the swampy area for more evidence.
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