Kerala: Spurned youth murders woman in Malappuram

KOZHIKODE: Drishya (21), a second-year law student, was stabbed to death by her former schoolmate at Elamkulam near Perinthalmanna in Malappuram on Thursday morning after she had spurned his romantic advances. Police identified the deceased as the daughter of Balachandran of Chemmattil house at Ellad. Her sister Devashree (13), who sustained grievous stab injuries in the attack, is being treated in the ICU of a private hospital in Perinthalmanna.
Police said that Vineesh Vinod (21), who hails from Muttungal, rushed upstairs into Drishya’s room and stabbed her around 8am.She died on the spot. Her sister Devashree, who tried to save her sister was stabbed in the chest and hand. Vineesh was nabbed by the police within hours of the attack.
Police said that the accused had allegedly set fire to the toy and stationary shop owned by Balachandran at Perinthalmanna at 9.45pm on Wednesday. Perinthalmanna deputy SP Devassia K M said Drishya and Vineesh were formerly schoolmates at a higher secondary school and the attack was allegedly carried out as a reprisal for having spurned his proposals.
Relatives of the deceased woman said Vineesh was pestering Drishya for long. Balachandran told the media that the accused had approached them with a marriage proposal three months ago following which the family approached the police. He said Vineesh told the siblings during the attack that he had set fire to their shop.
Drishya’s uncle Madhusoodhanan said the accused had been troubling her and the family had filed a complaint with Perinthalmanna police. They didn’t go ahead with the case after the parents and relatives of Vineesh gave a written undertaking before the police that he wouldn’t trouble her again.
“We suspect that the attack was elaborately planned and setting fire to the shop could be an attempt to ensure that her father and relatives weren’t there at home during the attack,” he said. Only the daughters and their mother were at home when the attack took place.
Perinthalmanna inspector of police Sajin Sasi V said that the accused had set fire to the shop owned by Balachandran to exact revenge. The shop owned by Balachandran had caught fire on Wednesday night and fire and rescue services personnel took one hour to douse the fire that had gutted the entire stock, including bags and footwear.
The accused could be nabbed by the police swiftly due to the presence of mind shown by the driver of the auto which Vineesh took to escape. Auto driver Jawhar drove him straight to Perinthalmanna police station after he got calls from a neighbour and later from the police during the trip that his passenger had committed a crime. Jawhar had his suspicions as the clothes Vineesh was wearing were drenched and the accused had told him that he had been in an accident.