Kerala Dalit woman rape and murder accused in judicial remand

A migrant labourer, arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a 30-year-old Dalit woman at Perumbavoor in Kerala, was today remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a magistrate court.

Ameerul Islam was brought amid tight security to Perumbavoor Judicial Magistrate Court around 5 pm from Aluva Police Club. He has been sent to sub-jail in Kakkanad.

Cops said they were likely to seek his custody after conducting an identification parade.

Fearing violent response from the mob present outside the Police Club and court complex, several rings of security were thrown around Islam who was seen wearing a helmet. Before producing him in the court, he was interrogated by top officials of the Special Investigation Team probing the case.

Director General of Police Loknath Behera had reached Aluva Police Club before taking him to the court.

In a breakthrough in the brutal rape and murder of the woman, a law student, Islam was arrested on Thursday, 50 days after the gruesome incident.

Police refused to produce the accused before media.

The 23-year-old Islam, hailing from Assam’s Nagaon district, was taken into custody from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu. He had left Perumbavoor soon after allegedly committing the murder on April 28.

He was brought to Aluva Police Club yesterday for interrogation with his face covered amid tight security.

Police had said the man had a ‘pervert’ mindset.

The woman, who hailed from a poor family, was raped and brutally assaulted using sharp-edged weapons before being murdered at her house on April 28.

The incident was in focus during Assembly polls campaign with political parties attacking the then United Democratic Front regime for tardy progress in the probe and failure to nab culprits.

The Left Democratic Front government, after assuming power on May 25, had changed the investigation team and entrusted the probe to Additional DGP Sandhya in its first cabinet meeting itself.

According to the police, a blood-stained footwear found from a canal near the victim's house was one of the key evidences in identifying the culprit.

A DNA test conducted earlier on the saliva found from the bite mark on her back, the blood found on the chappal and the lock of her room had revealed that it was only one person who committed the crime, police have said.

Over 100 police personnel had questioned over 1,500 people. Finger prints of over 5000 people were also examined and went through over 20 lakh telephonic conversations before reaching the culprit.