Kottayam: Man held for pregnant woman's murder
The accused, who had an affair with Aswathy, eliminated her to hide their relationship from his wife
Kottayam: The police on Saturday arrested Khader Yousuf, 41, Mamoottil house, Kunnukulam near Thellakam, for allegedly murdering Aswathy, 21, daughter of Viswanathan alias Thampan of Neerpukalayil at Kunnukulam. The body of Aswathy, who was pregnant, was found tied in a sack at a rubber estate near Ikkarakunnu near Athirampuzha on Monday.
Kottayam district police chief N. Ramachandran told reporters that a murder case has been slapped on the accused and that he would be produced before the court. He had confessed to the murder, he said. The accused, who had an affair with the woman, eliminated her to hide their relationship from his wife Shemi, who has been working in Saudi Arabia since 2014. She was slated to come home on August 10.
Yousuf, who was working as a helper at Standard Surgicals shop in Kottayam, and his neighbour Aswathy were having an illicit relationship since the beginning of 2015. Aswathy was reluctant to abort her pregnancy as demanded by him. “This was the motive for murdering her,” Mr Ramachandran said. Yousuf murdered her around 8 p.m. on July 30 (Saturday) by hitting her head on the floor of his house and smothering her.
The body was kept in his house for a day by covering it in a plastic cover. It was taken to Athirampuzha and dumped at the rubber estate at Ikkarakunnu by 8.30 p.m. on Sunday. The bar code in the plastic cover proved to be the crucial evidence. The plastic cover was used to pack a parcel which was sent from New Delhi to Mangalore in 2015. The parcel was later sent from Mangalore to Kottayam. By verifying the register of the courier company, the address of Khader Yousuf was found. The police is also verifying on the additional charges involved in the death of the unborn child of Aswathy.