The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) will deliver its verdict on Monday on the petition filed by Alappuzha police to get the custody of 13-year-old girl and other three accused teens as part of the probe related to the murder of 65-year-old Sivankutty Chettiar. The police have sought the girl's custody for a detailed interrogation while the three juveniles' custody is required for evidence collection.

Public Prosecutor Manu Kallampally, during the hearing held on September 5, cited the importance of custody of the accused in proving the crime. The police have to collect the evidence which is crucial to the case. Initial questioning has also thrown up contradictory statements by the girl and her three friends. The police have completed questioning the three accused in the presence of District Probationary officer. The police intend to interview the girl so as to rule out doubts over the statements furnished by the other accused in the case.

The investigation team has also mentioned about conflicting statements on the motive behind the murder. One of the accused told police that the girl had reportedly told him about bad behaviour from Chettiar, however other accused stated that she was frequently chided by Chettiar for coming home late and excessive use of mobile phone. The police have expressed doubts over the claims of the accused that Chettiar misbehaved with the girl, following which she wanted to avenge him for the bad behaviour.

During the probe, the police have found that the girl had allegedly tried to steal money from the almarah hours before she got in touch with her friends. Chettiar saw her trying to steal money and told her off, which also provoked her, police said. The girl will have to be questioned to arrive at a definitive conclusion on the actual motive of the murder. Circumstantial evidence is key to proving the case, officials said.

The verdict of the JJB assumes significance for the probe in which all the accused are juveniles. The police have already requested that the three accused be treated as adults. This would enable the cops to go about the process of evidence collection without legal complications arising from the application of special law.