Witness identifies suspect Ameerul in Perumbavur rape and murder case

Kochi: In a boost to the Special Investigation team probing the Perumbavur rape and murder case, a woman witness, the neighbour of the murdered girl Jisha, identified accused Ameerul Islam during an identification parade held at the Kakkanad district jail here on Monday.

Ameerul  was lined up along with seven others, including Assamese natives, during the exercise held in the presence of Kunnumpuram Judicial First Class Magistrate. The lone witness brought to the jail identified Ameerul correctly, sources said.

Shibu Daniel, Judicial First Class Magistrate, Kunnumpuram, conducted the identification parade and recorded the statement of the witness under section 9 of Indian Evidence Act.  “The accused’s position was changed and the process done for two more times but the witness identified him correctly,” they said.

The woman had earlier given a statement to the police that she had seen a person coming out of the victim’s house at 6 p.m. on April 28, the day of the murder. She saw him washing his legs and walking away to Iringolkavu side. The police had prepared a sketch of the suspect earlier based on her  version. “We’ll conduct another round of identification parade in which other persons like the lodge owner and footwear shop owner will  participate,” the sources said.