Probe reveals Kallayam youth’s death is murder

Thiruvananthapuram: A week after he was found dead under suspicious circumstances, police have finally admitted that the death of 35-year-old Vinod Kumar of Kallayam could be a case of murder. The police have also taken a man into custody as part of the probe.
Vinod Kumar was found dead at his residence on last Sunday with his throat slit. Initially, it was assumed that Kumar had committed suicide based on the statements of his wife Rakhi. She had told the police that there were problems in their marriage and that they used to quarrel regularly. On Sunday, a similar quarrel broke out between them and Kumar had grabbed a knife and slit his throat.
Though residents had raised suspicion over the death and asked the police to probe the murder angle, no specific assurance was given. It has now turned out that their silence was just a ploy to not to alert the suspects.
Sources in the police said that the main suspect in the case was a close friend of Rakhi. He is a resident and a driver by profession. He was absent from the locality after Kumar was found dead. “The man in our custody right now is a close friend of the prime suspect. He is being questioned to trace the whereabouts of the suspect,” said an officer, who is part of the probe team.
Police believe that the suspect was in contact with his friend and they could track his location when he contacted his friend again. The turning point in the case was the statement given by Vinod Kumar’s six-year-old son, which contradicted his mother’s statements. He had said that a third person was present in their home Sunday night when the incident happened. The boy referred the person as ‘uncle’.
Based on the child’s statement, police inferred that Vinod – who returned from church on Sunday – saw the suspect at his home and this resulted in a quarrel with his wife. Afterwards, the suspect was seen running away and Vinod was found dead in front of his residence. Since the suspect was missing from that day, the police believe that he had an important role in the death.
“We are actively conducting search to find out the suspect,” said an officer. Police are also keeping a close watch on Rakhi though they have refrained from arresting her for want of incriminating evidence.