On February 10, 2006, Santhamma returned from the panchayat workplace in Anchal, Kollam, to search out her daughter and her 17-day-old twins mendacity in a pool of blood, their throats slit. Police quickly narrowed in on the suspects – two Armymen from Kerala, Divil Kumar and Rajesh, who have been then posted on the Pathankot navy base in Punjab. The accused have been, nevertheless, by no means traced and the case went chilly.
Nineteen years later, the CBI arrested them on January 4 from Puducherry, the place that they had taken on new identities – Divil Kumar, 42, as Vishnu and Rajesh, 48, as Praveen Kumar, each engaged in inside design works and married to academics. What helped the investigators monitor down the 2 was a mixture of know-how and a few old style doggedness.
Kerala ADGP (Regulation and Order) Manoj Abraham advised The Indian Specific, “Our technical intelligence wing, which does digital evaluation of long-pending circumstances, used Synthetic Intelligence to trace down the accused. Outdated images of the accused have been developed to see what they might appear like 19 years later. A number of choices have been tried out – from modifications in hairstyles to different facial options – utilizing AI. These photos have been matched with images on social media. We bought matches from world wide, however the AI picture of one of many accused had a 90% match with a marriage {photograph} shared on Fb. We probed additional and tracked Rajesh all the way down to Puducherry, who led us to the opposite accused, Divil. Because the case was with the CBI, we alerted their Chennai unit, which arrested the 2.’’ He added that it was uncommon for AI for use to unravel such a long-pending case.
In keeping with the police, Ranjini and Divil, neighbours at Alayamon in Kollam, have been allegedly in a relationship. However when Ranjini bought pregnant and insisted on going via with the being pregnant, their relationship broke down. Kumar, subsequently, went again to Pathankot.
Late in January 2006, Ranjini gave beginning to twin daughters at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. It was right here that Rajesh, a local of Sreekandapuram in Kannur, allegedly befriended her as ‘Anil Kumar’, a local of Kollam. In keeping with the police, Rajesh and Divil have been colleagues within the Military and the 2 had allegedly colluded to kill Ranjini. The police probe discovered that Divil and Rajesh have been each on go away in January that yr.
Ranjini, in the meantime, obtained an order from State Ladies’s Fee that Divil be introduced again from the navy camp and subjected to a DNA take a look at to show his parenthood of the kids.
Congress chief Jyothi Kumar Chamakkala, who’s from Ranjini’s village in Kollam and has been concerned in a marketing campaign since 2006 in search of the arrest of the accused, recollects, “Rajesh approached Ranjini whereas she was in hospital for her supply. As he befriended her and he or she advised him about Divil, he promised to assist her settle the matter and monitor down Divil.’’
Police say that after Ranjini was discharged from hospital, Rajesh helped her discover a rented home at Anchal, away from her household dwelling, saying it might preserve her, an unwed mom, away from prying neighbours and kin.
On February 10, 2006, Rajesh went to Ranjini’s home and satisfied her mom Santhamma to go to native panchayat workplace, the place she needed to submit a number of functions associated to beginning of the infants. Police say Rajesh, allegedly performing at behest of Divil, stabbed Ranjini and slit the throat of the infants.
Speaking to The Indian Specific, Santhamma mentioned, “Rajesh had befriended us on the hospital, introducing himself as Anil Kumar. He had approached us inquiring whether or not we required blood for Ranjini’s caesarean supply. Though we didn’t want blood, he intentionally hung across the hospital. After we moved to a rented home, he got here there too. All the things he did was with a plan. Divil Kumar and his household raised questions on my daughter’s character. Which is why she wished him to bear a paternity take a look at.’’
As police started probing the function of ‘Anil Kumar’ they got here throughout the registration certificates of a two-wheeler on the crime scene. Their investigation into the possession of the two-wheeler took them to the navy camp at Pathankot, the place Rajesh and Divil have been posted. However had gone into hiding, leaving the police clueless.
In 2010, the Kerala HC, performing on a plea by Santhamma, handed the case over to CBI. In 2013, the CBI submitted a chargesheet however the two remained elusive.
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