Ernakulam mass murder: 17-member special team formed, chargesheet to be filed soon

Kochi: Chargesheet in connection with the Paravur Chendamangalam mass murder case will be submitted soon, said Aluva Rural SP Vaibhav Saxena. While speaking to reporters on Saturday, he said that all efforts would be made to ensure maximum punishment for the accused, Rithu Jayan. The police will submit a request for a five-day custody of Rithu on Saturday.

The special team formed for the case investigation includes three DySPs. The investigation team comprises a total of 17 members, including scientific and cyber experts. They will conduct a thorough investigation. The charge sheet will be submitted soon, Saxena said. Munambam DySP is the head of the investigation team.

When the accused was released from court on Friday, there was a tense situation. Rithu was swiftly taken away in a police jeep amidst the crowd that had gathered. As of now, Rithu is in the Aluva sub-jail. A decision on the custody request will be made by noon on Saturday. The evidence collection process, including site visits, will be completed either on Sunday or Monday.

As part of the evidence collection, Rithu will be brought to the crime scene. Since there is a possibility of local residents gathering and attacking the accused, the police are taking precautions. Due to the ongoing risk of unrest in the area, additional police forces will be deployed.

On Thursday evening, Rithu, barged into the house of his neighbour, and killed house owner  Venu (69), his wife Usha (62) and daughter Vinisha (32) by hitting them on the head. In the attack, Vinisha's husband, Jithin, was also seriously injured. He has not yet recovered from his critical condition. Jithin underwent surgery on Friday and is currently under 48-hour observation.