Kochi: A young girl was murdered by her friend for rejecting his romantic advances in Kerala, the third such instance to be reported in the state in two days. The body of Eva Antony, a native of Kaloor in Kerala's Ernakulam district, was recovered from a plantation near Varattapara in Tamil Nadu.
The police arrested Safar Shah, a native of Nettoor, from the Tamil Nadu check-post on Tuesday.
The body of the 17-year-old had several stab injuries. The police said that the youth wanted to take revenge after the plus-two student refused to continue with the friendship, leading to the murder.
Pre-meditated murder
Terming the incident to be a pre-meditated murder, the police said that the youth had kept the weapon inside the car before picking up the girl. The youth told the police that after killing the girl in the car, he left the dead body at the tea plantation and returned.
The police at Chalakudy in Thrissur were appraised about the missing girl complaint. A probe was initiated and the police conducted searches along the Chalakudy and Athirappilly areas.
During this time, the cops received information that the youth and the girl were spotted travelling in a car at Malakkappara, a hill station along the Kerala-TN border. The Tamil Nadu police were also informed about the car. When the car reached the check-post at Tamil Nadu, the cops could not find the girl in it. But a search of the car exposed the blood stains and Safar was taken into custody and questioned in detail. Safar told the police he murdered the girl and left the body in the woods.
The Tamil Nadu police, along with Malakkapara cops, conducted searches at the spot pointed out by Safar and found the body.
The youth planned to abscond to Pollachi after committing the murder, the police said.
Trouble-maker
Eva's father Vinod said that the youth had been troubling his daughter for the past eight months.
"She had complained several times. Me and my friend met him, and asked him to stop troubling her. He had then said he would not make any more problems. I dint know he continued to make trouble," the father said.
Vinod came to know of his daughter's demise later on Tuesday. He had filed a complaint to the police when she did not turn up after school.
On Monday, a 24-year-old man had killed his former girlfriend for refusing to continue the relationship. He barged into her house and slit her throat before killing himself.
The bloody trail of vengeance
Tuesday's incident was the latest in a series of similar attacks by spurned lovers. Other similar crimes reported in the recent past across Kerala are:
January 6, 2020: A 17-year-girl was stabbed several times by a youth at Kakkattumoola on Infopark Road in Kakkanad. The girl, who suffered injuries on her neck, chest, stomach and hand in the attack, has been admitted to the Medical College Hospital at Kalamassery. The victim’s friends claimed the girl and the youth were earlier close but recently the former had started maintaining a distance from the latter as they belonged to different castes.
January 6, 2020: A young man named Anu killed himself after murdering his girlfriend - Ashika, 21, - at her home at Karakonam locality in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district. The couple, who were neighbours, were reportedly in a relationship for long. Anu, who reached Ashika's house, barged to her house to slit her throat, before slitting his own neck.
June 15, 2019: Soumya Pushpakaran, a Civil Police Ofcer from Vallikunnam, Mavelikkara, was hacked and burnt to death in broad day light by another CPO named N A Ajaz. Ajaz also succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the attack.
May 31, 2019: Pushpalata, 39, a nursing assistant at SAT Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, was stabbed by former ambulance driver Nidhin of Kollam after she rejected his marriage proposal. The right ear of the Chengannur native was partially severed in the attack.
May 28, 2019: In Meenadom near Kottayam, a man tried to murder a woman after she ended their friendship. Nedungottu Shins from Vattakkunnu near Meenadom entered the woman's house and tried to smother her with a pillow.
April 4, 2019: An engineering student Neethu, 22, of Thrissur was killed by her friend Nidheesh, a resident of Vadakkekad. She was hacked and then set ablaze after she rejected his marriage proposal.
March 14, 2019: Palakkad native Manu, 24, tried to set a woman ablaze at Panampilly Nagar in Kochi after she rejected his overtures. The youth who fled to Abu Dhabi was arrested after a month.
March 13, 2019: A girl student was stabbed and set on fire by 18-year-old Ajin Reji Mathew after she backed off from their relationship. The incident happened in broad daylight at Thiruvalla town. The girl later succumbed to her injuries.
