Kerala Police arrests main suspect behind brutal rape and murder of Jisha

Kochi: The main suspect in the rape and murder of Jisha, the Dalit LLB student in Kuruppampady near Perumbavoor, is in police custody, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday.

The arrested suspect, 23-year-old Amir Ul Islam is an immigrant worker from Assam and has confessed to his role in the brutal killing.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has confirmed that the suspect in custody was under police scanner for many days.

"Investigation team has received full information about the accused. From yesterday onwards, the accused was under police radar," he said.

"The development is a feather in the cap of Kerala Police", the Chief Minister said adding that the arrest was long due, and that people of the state would welcome the news.

Police sources said that a Special Investigation Team probing the murder of the woman was questioning the suspect and Islam's arrest is expected to be recorded on Thursday, only after which his DNA samples will be taken.

30-year-old Jisha, a dalit LLB student was found dead in her house at Kurppumpady near Perumbavoor on April 28 with wounds, bite marks and her intestines pulled out when her mother returned from her daily wage work around 7.30 pm.

Last week, police had secured CCTV camera details from a shop from the victim's neighbourhood, which reportedly showed the suspect following the law student in the neighbourhood of her residence, hours ahead of the incident on April 28.

Newly appointed Kerala Police chief Loknath Behera, while visiting the house of the 30-year-old woman last week, had said a scientific probe has been launched to nab the culprits involved in the crime.

The Kerala High Court had last week rejected the plea for a CBI probe into the case, noting that the new SIT had been set up in the case.

Read: Jisha rape and murder case: SIT inspects abandoned house

The crime, which took place days before the Assembly elections, had triggered mass outrage in the state, with opposition alleging that the government was attempting to salvage its image by ruling out rape element during the initial days of probe.

The attack was a major campaign plank of LDF in the run up to the May 16 polls.

Following a thumping victory, the LDF government headed by Pinarayi Vijayan constituted a special investigation team, headed by ADGP B Sandhya, to investigate the case citing unsatisfactory probe.

The State Human Rights Commission had also accused the police of serious lapses in handling the Jisha murder case and rejected the reports submitted by the home secretary and state police chief terming them incomplete.

Read: Perumbavoor rape case: Rights panel slams cops in Jisha case

Calling for a fresh report to be submitted, the commission maintained that the delay in nabbing the accused was due to the initial lapses on part of the police.

Directing the officials to act more responsibly, the commission also said that many key documents, including post-mortem and inquest reports, were missing in the reports filed by the home secretary and police chief.

The Police also examined migrant workers who were believed to have been employed in the vicinity of Jisha’s house, which lead up to the arrest of the suspect.