Kozhikode: Anu (26), who was found dead in a canal at Perambra, was murdered during a robbery bid, confirmed the police here on Sunday. The probe team nabbed the accused, who has been booked in several criminal cases including rape, from Kannur on Saturday. The accused is identified as Mujeeb Rahman, a native of Malappuram's Kondotty, police sources said.
It is learnt that the accused killed Anu to steal her jewellery. Manorama News reported that the man offered Anu a ride on his two-wheeler after he saw her rushing to meet her husband at the nearby junction. When the bike reached the canal, he stopped the vehicle and pretended to attend to nature's call. But he pushed the woman into the canal in an attempt to steal her jewellery.
When Anu tried to resist, the accused pushed her head into the canal. The woman's body had scars on her neck and arms and a medical examination also revealed she was also kicked on her stomach.
The post-mortem report stated that the woman drowned and the cause of death was assessed as asphyxiating due to the muddy water entering her lungs.
Anu, a native of Valoor here was found dead in a canal on March 11. The body was found lying half-naked in knee-high water. The family members told cops that her gold necklace, rings, anklets and bracelets had gone missing. She was found wearing the earring, which was not gold.
Police suspected it to be murder as the canal did not have enough water to drown a person. The police probe revealed that she had hitched a ride on a two-wheeler. The investigation was focused on the young man who was found riding a red bike in an unusual circumstances.
During the investigation, police found the bike used by Mujeeb Rahman at the time of the incident. It was a stolen vehicle from Mattanur. Cops recovered the bike from Edavannapara in Malappuram. They also found clothes believed to be of Anu.
This led to the arrest of the accused. The details of the shocking murder came out when the accused was taken into custody on Saturday evening and was interrogated throughout the night. Following this, his arrest was recorded. The accused, who was under surveillance, was arrested from Kannur, police sources said.
