THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Thirty-six year old Lijeesh became emotional as he identified the dresses and ornaments of his four-year old daughter Swasthika and mother Omana as the trial into the Attingal twin murder case began at the principal sessions court here on Monday.
Lijeesh, who identified the first accused Nino Mathew, even revealed before the court that he did not initially suspect the involvement of his wife Anushanthi in the crime, but was later convinced of her role.
He also said that he did not reveal the relation between Nino Mathew and Anushanthi in his initial statement to the police, fearing shame for his family as well as that of Anushanthi's.
“I was convinced of Anushanthi’s role as she did not turn up to see the body of our daughter. Moreover she could be the only person to convey to Nino about my presence in the house on the day of the crime as I was then working in Moozhiyar,” Lijeesh, an engineer with KSEB, stated before principal sessions V. Shersy.
The prosecution case is that Nino, who was working in a Technopark firm, was in love with his colleague Anushanthi and he murdered Anushanthi's mother-in-law Omana and daughter Swasthika and attempted to murder Anushanthi's husband Lijeesh on April 16, 2014 with the intention of living together with Anushanthi. She has been arrai-gned as the second-accused.
Lijeesh, the prime witness in the case, also said that Anushanthi was behaving indifferently with him as well as his family members for about three months prior to the crime and he had also seen messages sent by Nino on her mobile. He also said that he had revealed the matter to Anushanthi’s father then.
Lijeesh stated that at around 11 am on the ill-fated day, his mother rang him up while he was at Aalamcode near Attingal.
She told him that a friend had come to meet him and wanted him to come home. Once he reached home, Nino Mathew who was hiding behind the door hacked him.
Nino and Anushanthi we-re also present in court, wh-ich was packed with lawyers and other interested parties.
