Thiruvananthapuram: A 67-year-old disabled woman was raped and killed in Pothencode early on Tuesday morning. She was also robbed of her gold ornaments. Police managed to arrest the accused, Thoufeek, 34, of Pothencode, within hours of the crime, after tracking him by scanning footage from CCTV cameras.
Police said the woman was plucking flowers near her house when the horrific attack took place. She was found by her sister, living nearby, around 7am lying unconscious and naked.
The victim's injuries, particularly those to her private parts, coupled with the missing gold ornaments, initially raised suspicions of foul play. A preliminary post-mortem confirmed that the woman was raped and that the cause of death was an internal head injury sustained during a fall while trying to resist the assault.
Thoufeek, who had stolen a bike from Chenkalchoola earlier that morning, was spotted in the vicinity of the crime scene.
The bike's chain broke in front of the woman's house, and seeing the woman, he approached her and attempted to sexually assault her, said a police officer. The attacker reportedly pushed the woman after she fought back, causing her to hit her head on a rock. The accused raped her after she fell unconscious. Following the assault, Thoufeek fled the scene with the victim's earrings.
The police traced Thoufeek's whereabouts after receiving information from locals, who had seen him in the area. "CCTV footage from a nearby ration shop showed an image of him pushing the stolen bike, which led to his identification," said a police officer. Thoufeek was arrested near his home in Pothencode.
The accused has a criminal history, with prior involvement in theft and assault cases.
He has been charged under Sections 64 (rape), 102 (murder), and 309-5 (robbery) of BNS. The woman, who lived alone and was unmarried, used to wake up early to pluck flowers for temple offerings, said the police officer.