Thiruvananthapuram: Police have arrested three people in connection with the murder of Plus One student A D Abhiram, whose body found in the state capital on Monday evening, stuffed into a sack and dumped near a temple.

Those arrested are a 17-year-old boy, his female friend Anantha (18), and Umar (21), a person with a criminal history. The teenager is the first accused, Umar the second and Anantha the third. Police said a dispute arising from a love affair led to the murder.

The 17-year-old allegedly strangled Abhiram to death using a belt. He then called Umar to help dispose of the body. Anantha's phone was used to lure Abhiram to Pangappara, where the murder took place.

The teenager had originally planned to kill Abhiram's friend. He intended to threaten Abhiram and use him to bring the friend to the spot. However, the friend did not turn up despite Abhiram's attempts to contact him. The teenager then killed Abhiram.

Police version of the incident
The 17-year-old allegedly planned the murder following a dispute involving his former girlfriend. The teenager and the girl had separated, after which he entered into a relationship with Anantha, a friend of Abhiram. Anantha is a student at the Government ITI in Kazhakoottam.

The teenager was reportedly provoked when his former girlfriend sent him a photograph of herself with her new boyfriend. He then decided to eliminate the latter. The new boyfriend was a friend of Abhiram. The teenager believed that this friend was responsible for his former girlfriend distancing herself from him.

He planned to use Abhiram to lure the friend to the spot. Abhiram and Anantha knew each other, and the fact that Abhiram had been messaging her reportedly fuelled the minor's resentment.

The minor had taken Anantha's phone two days before the murder. Posing as Anantha, he repeatedly messaged Abhiram and asked him to come to Pangappara to meet her. Abhiram reached the spot as instructed.

During an argument, Abhiram tried to flee. The teenager allegedly hit him on the head, knocking him down, before strangling him with a belt. He then called Umar, an acquaintance, to help conceal the body.

Abhiram, who went missing on Sunday, was found dead, his body stuffed into a sack and dumped on an abandoned plot near the Kamukin Code temple at Pangappara in Sreekariyam on Monday evening.

He was the son of Madhu Kumar and Dharmaja, residents of Puthuval Puthen Veedu in Bhagat Singh Nagar, Pangappara. Abhiram, a student at a school in Nalanchira, left home around 3 pm on Sunday. At around 7 pm, he called home and said he would return shortly. However, subsequent attempts to reach him failed as his phone was switched off. His family then lodged a missing person complaint with the Sreekariyam police.

During the investigation, police took his female friend and the minor into custody. Investigators found that a message had been sent from the girl's social media account shortly before Abhiram left home. CCTV footage also showed him travelling in a car with the teenager.

During questioning, the two allegedly confessed to the murder and revealed where the body was hidden.

The autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday. Abhiram's mother is abroad, while his father, Madhu Kumar, is a loading worker. He has a sister as well.