Kevin Joseph's body was found lying in a canal in Kerala's Kollam.
Highlights
- Kevin Joseph and his fiancee, both in their early 20s, wanted to marry
- This morning, a body found in a canal was identified as that of Kevin
- Special investigation team has been formed to probe the case
A week after he went to a court to apply for documents to marry the woman he loved, a young man in Kerala was found dead in a canal. He had been kidnapped yesterday from Kollam, by a group that allegedly included the woman's brother.
Kevin Joseph and his fiancee, both in their early 20s, wanted to marry despite their families' objection, according to the police.
With the death surfacing on a day
by-polls were held in the state's Chengannur constituency, the ruling Left-led LDF acted swiftly, suspending two policemen and transferring the Kottayam police chief.
Kevin and a relative he was staying with were kidnapped from their home in Kottayam yesterday. The relative managed to escape and told the police that the kidnappers included Kevin's fiancee's brother. The woman went with him to the police to complain against her brother.
"We got a complaint on Sunday by one of the relatives of Kevin, who managed to escape, and was also accompanied by Kevin's to be wife to the police station. They have stated that the to-be-wife's brother and his friends were among those who kidnapped Kevin," said police sources.
This morning, a body found lying in a canal was identified as that of Kevin.
Asked about the action against the policemen, a senior police officer told NDTV. "We have found police lapses in our preliminary probe. Police was not proactive and did not act in the manner that is expected of them."
He claimed that when the woman and Kevin's relative complained about the kidnapping, the police initially didn't act.
Wary of public anger over the tragedy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: "This should not have happened in Kerala. Two people were in a relationship and got married. The girl's family was unhappy about it."
The Chief Minister said a special investigation team has been formed and two police teams had been set up in Kottayam and Kollam to arrest the accused.
"Every complaint against the police department will be dealt seriously. There will be strict action against the officers who fail to discharge their duties," Mr Vijayan added.