Abhiram murder: Umar kept call with girlfriend active for hours to create alibi, sent Insta message to mislead cops

Thiruvananthapuram: The girlfriend of Umar Muftar, the second accused in the murder of 17-year-old Abhiram at Pangappara in Sreekaryam, has also been arrested. The Special Investigation Team arrested S Aishwarya (21), a native of Manakkunnu, Akkulam. Police said Aishwarya was aware of the murder and had helped the accused destroy evidence. She was remanded in judicial custody. With this, the number of arrests in the case has risen to four.

Police found that Umar Muftar had called Aishwarya on Sunday afternoon, the day Abhiram was murdered, before leaving his house at Peroorkada. He left his phone at home without disconnecting the call and proceeded to the crime scene. Aishwarya, meanwhile, kept the call active for several hours. According to the police, the accused intended to create evidence suggesting that Umar was at home and talking to Aishwarya at the time of the murder, based on mobile tower location records.

Investigators also found that Umar sent Aishwarya an Instagram message after returning home following the murder. The message reportedly read: "The 17-year-old has killed Abhiram. Let him suffer." The investigation team believes this was an attempt by Umar to make it appear that the minor accused had committed the murder alone and that he had no role in it.

Police had earlier received information about Aishwarya's involvement in the murder. Though questioned the previous day, she denied the allegations. She was taken into custody on Thursday and subjected to detailed interrogation, during which she reportedly confessed to her role. Aishwarya told investigators that she had joined the conspiracy to protect Umar. Abhiram's body was found stuffed in a sack in an abandoned plot at Pangappara in Sreekaryam on November 2.

Mobile phones remain missing
Police are yet to recover the mobile phones believed to hold crucial evidence in the Abhiram murder case. Investigators are searching for the phones belonging to Abhiram, the 17-year-old prime accused, and Anantha, the third accused. The prime accused lured Abhiram to the crime scene by sending him messages from Anantha's phone. This makes the latter's phone a crucial piece of evidence in the case.

According to the accused's statement, the phones had been dumped in a nearby canal after the murder. However, the police failed to recover them despite an extensive search. Investigators suspect that the phones may have been destroyed after the crime.