Thiruvananthapuram: In this high-tech era, criminals use latest methods to cover up the crime. But the same technology can also lead to their downfall. A soldier, who strangled his girlfriend to death at Amboori in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district, too fell prey to the same technology that he had used to cover up the murder.
It was the phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number that aided the police in zeroing in on the culprit, Akhil S Nair.
The phone of victim, Rakhi, had been switched off from June 21. However, her relatives got messages from her phone number on July 24. The cops then made a detailed check using the IMEI number and found that the messages were not sent from Rakhi's phone. The police tracked down the person, who bought the new phone, with the help of the IMEI number and found the murderer.
Acting smart cost the culprits dearly
Akhil bought a new phone, inserted Rakhi's SIM card in it and sent messages to her family to convince them that she was alive. However, Akhil apparently was not aware of that the IMEI number would aid the police in finding the details of the phone. Like how the fingerprint of each individual would be different, the IMEI number of each phone would also be distinct. Even if the phone was changed to cover up the crime, the IMEI number of the new phone would act as the evidence, cyberexpert Vinod Bhattathiri said.
The sensational 2016 Perumbavoor murder case too was cracked by ascertaining the IMEI number. One ASI of the Kerala Police used cyber evidence to locate the culprit in the case from Assam. (The crime and its probe are detailed further below)
Akhil's father's role
Meanwhile, the police would also check the role of Akhil's father in the case after neighbours raised allegations against him. The neighbours told the cops that the accused's father was also with him as the body was being buried.
It is also suspected that the father likely helped his sons to go into hiding after the murder.
The police have recorded the arrest of Akhil who was taken into custody from the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Saturday night. Akhil in his statement to the police said that Rakhi had threatened to commit suicide and this provoked him to commit the murder.
Rakhi had issued the threat when Akhil informed her about his wedding to another girl. After the murder, Akhil said he had gone to Kashmir. However, his soldier unit made it clear that Akhil did not rejoin for duty.
What is IMEI number?
If a phone has two slots for SIM cards, it would have two IMEI numbers. If one were to type *#06# and hit the call button, the IMEI number would be revealed. If the police were to get hold of the IMEI number, they can ascertain in which slot the SIM was put and which brand of phone is being used. About 4-5 years ago, it was possible to fiddle with the IMEI number. Hundreds of Chinese phones had entered the market with the same IMEI number. Even if one person were to change his phone, it would not be possible to find that out. After the government took a serious stance, they were also forced to fall in line.
Perumbavoor murder
A woman was murdered at her home in Perumbavoor at 4.42pm on April 28, 2016. It was her mother who first came across the victim, who was found lying next to the door, bleeding profusely. Her naked body was subjected to cruel assault. Her churidar was found soaked in blood.
One of the cops, who reached the spot, carefully packed the churidar and sent it for examination. This action proved to be crucial in the investigation later on. The experts were able to find DNA, other than the woman's, on one part of the churidar. The police concluded that it would be of the culprit.
The DNA results were made available seven days after the incident. The cops began to check the blood samples of the neighbours and villagers to find out who the DNA belonged to. However, it led to a controversy and the cops had to abandon that attempt. Then the police were left with only one pair of sandals, suspected to be that of the culprit. The police later decided to send the phone records for scientific examination.
The probe turns digital
The woman was murdered at 4.42pm. The police checked 10 lakh records of phone calls made from the nearby towers. They could not find any evidence. The help of the cop, who was a cyberexpert, was sought. The ASI (not revealing the name) is considered to be one of the best officers to collect cyber evidence.
He examined 20 lakh phone call records from 6am till midnight on the day the crime was committed. Still there was no evidence. Then calls made 40 hours before and after the murder was also checked. That also drew a blank.
Then it struck them. Checks were held only on the mobile phones present in the locality. Shouldn't checks be held on the phones that went silent?
An enquiry was held to find out the phones that were active in the region and got switched off or went missing after the murder. After several days of probe, the cops were able to find certain phone numbers that were switched off after the murder. After checking them, the cops were able to zero in on one number.
One phone had got switched off 40 hours before the murder. The last call was made at 1.30 am. The phone number then came alive after the murder, by 8.30 pm, at the Perumbavoor town. But the IMEI number had changed!
Therefore, it was concluded that the suspect had got a new phone. The SIM card's address was found to be in Assam. The police concluded that the owner got a new phone as the earlier phone was damaged or this was an attempt to cover up something. Further enquiries about the person revealed that he was a migrant labourer, who had been living in Perumbavoor.
Following the phone
The native place of the suspect was found to be at Dumduniya, near Bangladesh border. The new phone (second phone) was found at the Aluva tower location around 3am. Then the location moved from Palakkad to Tamil Nadu, confirming to the police that he was leaving the state. The cops found out his Perumbavoor address with the help of other labourers. On reaching the address, they found the owner of the SIM.
The officers were distraught - then who was the person who fled the state? The Assam native was questioned. He said that he had sold his phone to a friend, Ameer, two years ago. But the address on the SIM still was his. The police found the seven people who Ameer used to contact regularly over the phone. Four of them were his relatives - father, mother, wife and brother. The other three were in the Perumbavoor tower location.
Those three shared their accommodation details with Ameer. On the day of the murder, Ameer had returned to his room. He told them that his phone was damaged and that he had to urgently go home. He sought for a phone from them. One of his roommates was a relative of Ameer. He had bought a new phone to give to his mother. He gave that phone to Ameer, who promised his kin that he would get a new phone on reaching his village and give the phone to his mother.
The police checked at the shop from where the new phone was bought and confirmed that the person who had fled the state was using the same IMEI number. The cops too left for the north-eastern state.
When the Kerala Police reached Assam, it had been 20 day since the murder. By then, Ameer had left for his wife's house in Bengal. When the police reached, Ameer fled to Chennai.
A third phone too, but to no avail
Cyber experts sent several messages to Ameer's phone number. But none of them were received. Finally, 46 days after the murder, one SMS was received. But the IMEI number of the phone was different. The police concluded that he had got a third phone. The phone then got switched off. The cops tracked the location to Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu and continued the probe. They found the phone owner, a TN native.
He said that he had sold the phone to an Assam native for Rs 2,000. The TN native also said that his friend had introduced him to the person from Assam. That friend was also questioned and he told the cops that the Assam labourer was functioning at a factory. The police waited at the factory. They were sure that it would be Ameer. But the police had no way to identify him. So they took three people who had worked with Ameer to Tamil Nadu. His friends recognised him, and the plainclothes policemen rounded him and up and hurled him into the jeep.
He was brought back to Kerala and DNA tests were held. It was found to be same as the one found on the girl's churidar. And the culprit in one of the most heinous crimes of Kerala was identified. Ameer was jailed.
