Kochi: A week after a transgender person was found dead under suspicious circumstances near Aluva Town Hall, the Ernakulam Rural Police on Tuesday arrested a 21-year old youth in this connection. The accused was identified as Abhilash Kumar aka Ratheesh, a resident of Kalathil House, Annamanada village in Thrissur. According to the cops, the body of Murukesan (Gowri) (35), a native of Tamil Nadu, was spotted in the bushes near Aluva Turuth railway bridge at 6.45 pm on August 15 by some pedestrians. An asbestos sheet was found lying on top of the body.
“The accused had arrived at Aluva railway station from Sathara in Maharashtra on August 14. He was in an inebriated condition and roamed around the town. Later he entered into a brawl with Murukeshan. The accused pushed down the victim and then using a shawl, he strangled the transgender person to death,” police said. What turned out to be a breakthrough in the case was the police probe based on CCTV recordings from shops in the locality.
“We had questioned suspicious persons found roaming around the area on and two days before the body was found. On August 14, Abhilash, after reaching Aluva station, had consumed alcohol and based on a complaint of him lying unconscious, a policeman reached the spot and registered his name when he regained his senses. This turned out to be the breakthrough,” the police said. Later the cops took him into custody and Abhilash confessed to the crime during interrogation. Murukesan was working as a labourer in the construction sector in Aluva for the past few years. The murder was cracked even as the transgender community earlier in the day met the Ernakulam Additional deputy magistrate (ADM) and demanded hastening of the probe in the case.
