Videographer held in Jalaja murder case

ALAPPUZHA: The Crime Branch team has nabbed a professional videographer in connection with the murder of a housewife, Jalaja Suran, 47, at Haripad two years ago. The accused Sajith, 37,  a native of Pallipad near Haripad,  was held  from Nedumbassery airport on Sunday.  He had left for  Qatar  and was working there after the  murder  on August 14, 2015.   The investigators  had convinced his sponsors to send  the accused to Kerala on the pretext of renewing his visa. 

The accused was an occasional visitor to the house of the woman at Haripad where she was living alone as her  husband worked  in the Gulf and her children were in Bangaluru.   Jalaja  hailing from  Nangiarkulangara was living in Bangaluru with her children for  some time.  She  had come to Nangiarkulangara only a few weeks prior to the incident. Sajith’s drinking partner Raju, an acquaintance of Jalaja, was the last person to have seen the woman alive on August 14.

The investigators said  Sajith had visited Jalaja at her home hoping to meet Raju there. A scuffle ensued  between them after Jalaja scolded him for suggesting that she had an illicit affair with Raju.The incident happened around 1.45 a.m. Sajith  was questioned several times by local police earlier,   but he evaded suspicion. The CB team zeroed on the accused with the help of a  mobile phone found  near  the victim’s house on the day of the crime.  Sajith used it often.  The post-mortem found  at least 12 deep cuts on the body.  The head was also smashed. Three gold bangles and a chain with mangalasutra were stolen from the body.