Kerala teenager rejects police findings on mother's 'murder'

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 2 minutes read

Alappuzha, Kerala:

A day after police confirmed the murder of a woman missing for 15 years, her teenage son today rejected their findings and claimed she was still alive.

He also rejected allegations against his father, who is believed to be the prime suspect in the murder of his mother Kala.

Speaking to reporters, the teenager said that nothing happened 15 years ago as the police claimed and that the allegations had brought shame on his family.

“No such incident has happened. I am sure my mother is alive… I am her son. I am not tense,” he said.

He said his mother never contacted him after she disappeared from home years ago.

He also said police had received no leads regarding the murder.

Police on Tuesday said Kala, who went missing 15 years ago at the age of 20 from her husband and parents' homes in the coastal district, was confirmed dead.

The confirmation came after police conducted an hours-long search and collected evidence by opening two septic tanks at the missing woman's husband's home.

Alappuzha SP Chaitra Teresa John said a case has been registered and the police are now suspecting the involvement of the woman's husband, who is in Israel.

When reporters asked the teenager if he had contacted his father, the main accused in the case, he said his father had told him not to worry about the turn of events.

“My father told me not to worry about the current problems,” he said, adding that his father will not return to the country now because he has debts and has to continue his stay abroad.

Meanwhile, Soman, a labourer who had helped police collect vital evidence from the septic tank on Tuesday, speculated that a chemical substance had been poured into the tank.

“I have been doing septic tank work for years, so I can feel when I go down into the pit if chemicals are being poured into it. Here, a chemical, which can even grind stones and human bones into powder, was poured,” he told a television channel.

He said objects suspected to be parts of human bones – a locket, a hair clip used by women and a dress elastic – were found inside the septic tank during his search, and they were handed over to police for further examination.

Anil Kumar, the woman's brother, who is a car driver, said the current revelations were shocking and he had never had any doubts about the accused's behaviour till now.

“If they have done something wrong, they should receive the punishment they deserve,” he said.

Five people were already in custody in connection with the case, and their arrests would be made shortly, the police said.

Law enforcement launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous letter a few months ago alleging that the woman's husband had killed her and buried the body in the septic tank of his home, police said.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)