Five held for killing kidnapped youth in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police have so far arrested five people and are hot on the trail of eight more in connection with the brutal murder of a 21-year-old youth near Karamana. Balu aka Kiran Krishnan of Thamalam and Muhammed Roshan of Poojappura were arrested on Wednesday while the arrests of three others who were in custody - Arun Babu, Abhilash and Ram Karthick - were recorded on Thursday.

These three hail from Arasumoodu near Thaliyil from where the deceased Ananthu Gireesh was kidnapped.

The three had plotted the conspiracy to murder Ananthu, while Roshan and Balu were directly involved in the crime, including kidnapping.

City Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Gurudin said the accused were all drug addicts and had criminal antecedents. He added the probe was going on in the right direction and the rest of the accused will be apprehended soon. The police suspect the rest of the accused have fled the state. 

Ananthu was kidnapped by a three-member gang who came on a bike. The plan to kidnap and murder the youth was launched during the birthday celebration of one of the accused, Aneesh aka Kuttappan. Police sources said alcohol and drugs were served during the party and it was there the crime was planned. 

Ananthu and his friends had allegedly entered into a fight with certain youths from Neeramankara area during the Konchiravila temple festival. It was in retaliation Ananthu was murdered.  The police said all the accused regularly used drugs and the macabre killing of the youth demonstrated it.

The body had multiple injuries and burn marks were seen on the face near the eyes suggesting the gang had brutalised the youth in captivity before murdering him. Karamana Station House Officer N Girish said the probe has revealed details of drug use in the locality and such an angle will be brought to the ambit of the investigation.

“The drug peddlers and users come together at isolated, bushy areas which escape public attention. There are such locations in the city where these people assemble. The probe so far has revealed the patterns of the drug users,” Girish said.