Kothamangalam: The 24-year-old dental student, Manasa who was shot dead by Kannur native Rakhil at Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district, was unaware that her movements were being watched.
Rakhil had rented one of the two rooms on the second floor of a building near to the dental college at Nellikuzhi in Kothamangalam. He made a slit in the curtain in front of the rooms to keep an eye on her.
The distance from the college to the house where Manasa stayed as paying guest is 100m. While walking home from her college, the road curves to the right and then it is a downward slope. Right opposite to this curve is the building where Rakhil stayed.
Through the gap, Rakhil could see Manasa leaving the college and reaching till near the building. Once she walked down the slope, Rakhil could have probably watched her through the open space on the left side of his room.
As he was standing behind the curtain, no one from outside could spot him. The adjacent room has been unoccupied for months, rendering Rakhil's actions easier.
Rakhil had killed himself after murdering Manasa, a house surgeon at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences at Nellikuzhi, on Friday afternoon.
The pistol bought from Bihar?
The shooting incident at Kothamangalam raises some serious law and order issues. So far, the indications are that the pistol was bought from Bihar.
Guns from Punjab and Bihar are being supplied in Kerala illegally, as per the central Intelligence teams. Such guns were brought into Kannur, Kasaragod and Mangaluru, according to the report. But if the pistol was purchased from Bihar, the state police team has limitations in going ahead with the probe on its source. Such investigations are conducted through other probe agencies in the country. As it is not easy to procure such pistols, the police suspect that Rakhil could have got the pistol from those involved in illegal trade of guns.
There will be more clarity on the pistol only after the ballistic experts submit the reports. The ballistic experts on Saturday examined the pistol, the bullets, if any alternations were made it to the pistol, whether it was foreign-made and other aspects. The report will be submitted soon.