Alappuzha: A special investigation team of the Kerala Police arrested a murder accused from his Maoist-infested hometown in Odisha after a week of the crime.
Samuel Roopmanjhi (22) fled after allegedly stabbing his estranged lover Ritika Sahu (26) at Poochakkal in Alappuzha district on April 2. The woman, severely injured in the attack, was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi and later to the Medical College Hospital in Kottayam. She succumbed to her injuries around 11 pm on April 4.
Roopmanjhi managed to escape, but a special team supervised by DySP S Shaji and led by Poochakkal inspector N R Jose was set up to track him down. A separate team was constituted to gather information about his local connections.
The investigators interrogated other natives of Odisha, who worked with Roopmanjhi at various places in Kerala namely Aroor, Poochakkal and Changaramkulam in Malappuram, to gather information about his hideout.
Roopmanjhi told the investigators that he was in a relationship with Sahu for four years and was upset after she broke up with him. He stabbed her on the premises of Foodco Company near the Poochakkal Junction around 1 am.
Sahu was the daughter of Bandha Baju and Swathi Sahu of Chenchedi in Odisha's Kandhamal district while Roopmanjhi is the son of Badi Roopamathi of Ramanaguda. He will be produced before a court on Thursday.
