Pathanamthitta: A court on Saturday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a woman at Kottangal in Pathanamthitta district in December 2019.

Pathanamthitta Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Jayakrishnan G P awarded life imprisonment to Nazeer alias Naimon, a native of Kottangal, for the murder of Thinchu Michael.

The court imposed the following sentences on Nazeer:

Life imprisonment under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Ten years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 376(2)(m) (rape causing grievous bodily harm or endangering the life of a woman).

Seven years' rigorous imprisonment under Section 450 (house trespass).

Victim background and discovery

According to the prosecution, Michael, 26, had separated from her husband and was living with her partner, Tijin Joseph, who had also ended his marital relationship.

She was found hanging dead at Joseph’s residence in Kottangal on 15 December 2019.

Initial investigation

Perumpatty police initially registered a case and questioned Joseph for several days after the postmortem revealed that Michael had been raped and assaulted before her death.

Joseph maintained that he and his father had left the house earlier that morning.

Crime Branch probe

The investigation was later handed over to the Crime Branch, which found that the knot used to hang the body resembled those typically used in timber-related work.

Based on this lead, the Crime Branch conducted a detailed probe and arrested Nazeer, a timber trader who had visited the house earlier looking for trees for timber, the prosecution said.

Charges and evidence

The prosecution alleged that Nazeer trespassed into the house while Joseph and his father were away, raped Michael, and later hanged her to stage it as a suicide.

During the trial, the prosecution examined 44 witnesses and submitted 64 documents as evidence.