Jesna missing case: CBI to question owner, ex-employee of Mundakayam lodge

Kottayam: A CBI team is set to arrive in Mundakayam on Tuesday following new developments in the Jesna missing case. The team will take a statement from a former lodge employee who claimed to have seen Jesna at the lodge just days before her disappearance.

The CBI team gathered preliminary details from the employee over the phone on Monday morning and will assess the credibility of her claim. They also plan to question the lodge owner and review the lodge's register.

The woman has come forward now, claiming she saw a girl resembling Jesna at a lodge in Mundakayam, six years after her disappearance. The woman, who worked at the lodge, also reported seeing a boy with the girl.

The woman disclosed this information to the Kerala Police Crime Branch during the investigation. She mentioned that after recognising Jesna's photo in the newspaper, she enquired about this with the lodge owner, who dismissed her concerns and allegedly threatened her. According to the woman, the boy had told her they were heading to Ernakulam for an examination.

The lodge owner, on the other hand, has dismissed the ex-employee’s claims, suggesting that they were prompted by personal animosity towards him. Meanwhile, James, father of Jesna, also dismissed the claims, calling it an “attempt to mislead the investigation.”

Jesna, a second-year B.Com. student, went missing on March 22, 2018, while on her way to her aunt's house at Mundakayam in Kottayam.