It’s a murder case that haunted the law enforcement agencies, including Kerala Police and later CBI, for 19 long years. In February 2006, a young mother and her twin daughters, just 17 days old, were brutally murdered in a rented house in Anchal, a small village in Kollam. However, the local police, who initially investigated the case, failed to nab the culprits. The case went cold for nearly two decades, but in a dramatic turn of events, the suspects were finally apprehended by the CBI team, giving a sense of closure to the victims’ families and the people of Kerala.

Brutal murders

The triple murder was nothing short of horrific. The bodies of Ranjini, the 28-year-old mother, and her twin daughters, were found in their home, with their throats slit. At the heart of the crime was a dispute over the paternity of the children. Ranjini had reportedly demanded that Dhibil Kumar, an army personnel, accept responsibility as the father of the twins. When Kumar refused, tensions escalated, and Ranjini took legal steps, pursuing a path that led to a bitter confrontation with Kumar.

Kumar, along with his friend and colleague Rajesh from Kannur, carefully orchestrated the murder. They waited for a moment when Ranjini’s mother was away, then broke into the house and brutally slit the throats of Ranjini and her twin daughters.

After the crime, the two men fled, seemingly disappearing without a trace. Despite intensive efforts by the Kerala police, the investigation hit a roadblock. The initial assumption was that they had fled abroad to avoid capture. It seemed like the case would remain unsolved.

However, the real surprise came when, after 18 years, a breakthrough occurred. The suspects had not gone abroad as initially believed; instead, they had started new lives under false identities in Pondicherry. They had seamlessly blended into society, running a carpentry business and even marrying local women. They had completely erased their old identities, living under new names, including the alias "Vishnu."

They had managed to evade detection by changing their names, securing Aadhaar cards under their new identities, and avoiding any association with their past crimes.

A Long Pursuit: CBI’s Investigation

The CBI’s involvement began when the case was handed over to them by the Kerala Police. For years, the Kerala police had offered rewards for information leading to the suspects’ arrest, but nothing came of it. It was only when an anonymous tip reached the CBI's Chennai unit that the long-elusive suspects came under investigation again.

The breakthrough came when the CBI discovered that one of the suspects, using the name "Vishnu," had established a successful business in Pondicherry. The agency launched a covert operation to gather information, keeping the suspects under surveillance for several days. Through careful investigation and intelligence gathering, the CBI was able to identify the two men and confirm their involvement in the 2006 murders.

Justice After 19 Years

The victims’ families, particularly Ranjini's mother, Shanthamma, had long-awaited justice. Despite the passage of time, the pain of losing a daughter and grandchildren remained fresh. With the arrests, the families finally have the answers they sought for so many years.

Now that the suspects, Dhibil Kumar and Rajesh, have been arrested and presented in court, the case continues to unfold. The CBI is expected to gather more evidence at the crime scene in Anchal, and the investigation is ongoing. The suspects are currently in custody, and further legal proceedings will determine their fate.

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