Idukki: The investigation surrounding the death of an infant and elderly man in Idukki has hit an impasse after contradictory statements by the accused Nitheesh about the child's murder.
A probe into a theft case by Ernakulam resident Nitheesh (31) and Idukki resident Vishnu (27) on March 2 led the Kerala Police to the two hitherto undiscovered murders- Vishnu's father Vijayan and of his newborn nephew.
Nitheesh had confessed to the cops that he and Vijayan suffocated the latter's daughter's four-day-old baby. According to the police, the accused Nitheesh, who informed the cops that he buried the baby in a cattle shed adjacent to his house in Sagara Junction, changed his statement following a police inspection at the site on Sunday. He claimed that Vijayan took the baby's body out a week after the murder and buried it elsewhere.
Though an inspection was conducted at the shed for two hours on Sunday, there was no significant progress. Soil samples were also collected from the shed. These have been sent for testing. The investigation team visited the site once again on Monday in the hope of finding more clues. Niteesh is still in police custody.
Police had on Sunday recovered the skeletal remains of a person from the rented house of the deceased Vijayan, the elderly man who was bludgeoned to death by accused Nitheesh. According to the officers, a DNA test would be conducted to confirm the identity of the human remains.
