Chennai:
After a retired Lieutenant Colonel confessed today to killing a 13-year-old inside an Army residential compound in Chennai, the Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigating Department (CB-CID) of the Tamil Nadu Police has said they will now seek capital punishment for the ex-Army man.
The retired Lt Colonel, Kandasamy Ramaraj, has been remanded to 15 days judicial custody, after he was produced in a court this evening.
Addressing a press conference in Chennai today, CB-CID chief R Sekhar said, "Retired Lieutenant Colonel Kandasamy Ramaraj has confessed to his crime and the rifle used was a 30MI Springfield. He shot Dilshan from his balcony. The officer was apparently provoked by the incidents of kids plucking fruits on and off from the Army area. He has been charged under Section 302 of the IPC."
Fifty eight-year-old retired Lieutenant Colonel is an Assistant Engineer in the Arms Section of the Electrical Mechanical Department, Mr Sekhar added.
"The police recovered the rifle used from River Cooum near the Area. We are very proud of our officers for achieving the breakthrough in the case," he said.
He also said that Mr Ramraj retired in April and was preparing to vacate the complex where the incident occurred, adding that the retired officer had not renewed his rifle licence.
Mr Sekhar said that though initially police came to know there were only three children at the time of incident it later came to light that there was a fourth boy who informed them about a senior Army man who tried to erase the evidence.
With the help of fourth boy, police could zero in on Ramraj who initially refused to admit that he owned a licensed weapon but later confessed that he had applied for renewal of license with the suburban police, he said.
Dilshan, a Chennai teenager, was killed by a bullet while picking almonds, with his friends, inside the Island Grounds Army Residential complex in Chennai.
Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had said the teenager was killed by an Armyman and had written to the General Officer Command requesting that the culprit be handed over to the state police.
The Tamil Nadu government had handed over the case to CB-CID and said that whoever is guilty will not be spared.
(With PTI inputs)