Protests in Kerala after the brutal rape and murder of a law student last week
Highlights
- No arrests in Kerala rape and murder in eight days
- Police sources claim to have zeroed in on '4-5 suspects'
- Police accused of massive lapses in investigation
There have been no arrests a week after the savage rape and murder of a law student in Kerala, but top police sources claim to have "zeroed in on four or five suspects."
The 30-year-old woman was found dead last Thursday inside her home in Perambavoor, 200 km from state capital Thiruvananthapuram, with wounds and bite marks and her intestines hanging out.
There were signs that the woman had been raped and brutalised with a sharp object, but the police refused to confirm rape until the grisly details started emerging this week in the crime compared to the 2012 fatal gang-rape of a Delhi student on a moving bus.
"We have considerable leads. There are no lapses on part of the police, senior police officers are camping on the site since April 29 (last Friday)," police sources asserted.
The student had allegedly been stabbed 30 times and her back was covered with bite marks.
Additional Director General of Police Padmakumar told NDTV, "There are challenges. On 28th this happened. On 29th the forensic teams had reached. There are challenges because we largely only have circumstantial evidence."
Police say the delay is only because of the lack of eye witnesses. But with no arrests so far, the anger on the streets, has only been increasing.
"I leave my parents and go out. This can happen to us. If this is the justice for the law student, it will be the same for me. This is injustice against women," said an advocate Swapna.
Meanwhile, the law student's murder is now at the Centre of election rallies in poll-bound Kerala.
"A Dalit sister was raped and killed. We don't see a government anywhere," said PM Modi on Friday while addressing a BJP rally in Palakkad.
Ahead of PM Modi's likely visit to the family next week, Home Minister Rajnath Singh has offered the option of an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation. But the state government, responding to a petition before the High Court challenging the way the case is being investigated, has backed its police team.
Director General of Prosecution, representing the state, said "We are willing to present all investigations till now in a sealed envelope before the court. The investigation is going on the right track."