Perumbavur: Covering up a major lapse in the initial phase of the investigation in the brutal rape and murder case of 30-year-old Dalit, the police on Wednesday filed an application before the Kuruppampadi Judicial First Class Magistrate Court to incorporate rape charges (section 376) in the FIR, six days after the gruesome incident.
The special investigation team included the new section only after it received the post-mortem report on Wednesday though an amendment in CrPC in 2013 expanded the definition of ‘rape’ to include forced penetration of vagina with a foreign object, not necessarily a male body part.
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The police had said the body was badly mutilated, including the private parts of the victim, a law student. As per the post-mortem report submitted by police surgeon Dr Lisa John of Alappuzha Medical College there were 38 ante-mortem injuries including small aberrations.
The five-page report says that the woman suffered a fatal injury across her chest of 13-cm length that reaches till her liver. The victim was tortured with a sharp weapon pushed inside her vagina which pierced her uterus and eventually her intestines came out.
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Police claim that they have preserved a tooth of the victim and viscera samples for DNA analysis. The special investigation team under Ernakulam range IG Mahipal Yadav has hardly made a breakthrough in the case even though six days have passed after the incident that shocked the state.
A member in the team told this newspaper that there are about 10 persons in police custody but the one held in Kannur on Tuesday was not connected with the incident.
Read: Kerala Dalit girl rape: New officer appointed to head probe team
A police officer has been removed from the team investigating the rape and murder case. According to sources, the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Perambavoor was removed on account of "procedural lapses".
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Opposition leader VS Achuthanandan visited the woman’s mother who is undergoing treatment at the Taluk hospital in Perumbavoor. The Permbavur Town witnessed more than 10 protest marches to the Perumbavoor DySP office on Wednesday
