Kochi: A friend of chartered accountancy student Mishel Shaji, who was found dead near the Ernakulam wharf, has alleged that the deceased's boyfriend had harassed her.
"I don't think Mishel will commit suicide. Even on the morning of the day she went missing, she had called me. There was no tension in her voice and she sounded jovial," the friend, on condition of anonymity, told Manorama News on Saturday.
"Mishel even promised to meet me on the 27th of this month. Why would anyone going to commit suicide make such a promise?' the friend asked.
Police had earlier recorded the statement of the woman, who lives outside the state.
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Accusing Cronin Alexander Baby, who is under arrest, of being harsh with her, the friend said earlier also there were problems between them.
She recounted one such instance when Cronin even slapped Mishel after a skirmish.
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"Mishel stood strong even during such instances. Then why would she resort to such a step now?" she asked.
Tumultuous relationship?
The police had said Mishel and Cronin were in a relationship for nearly two years. They also said that their relationship was going through a rough patch and the youth, who was working in Chhattisgarh, had been continuously trying to contact Mishel before she went missing.
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The youth sent 57 SMSes to Mishel on March 4, a day before she went missing and 32 SMSes the next day, police said. He called her four times on March 4 and six times on March 5.
The girl left her hostel on March 5 to go to the church and was reported to be missing since. She was found dead near the Ernakulam wharf on March 6.