Three get life in murder case

Additional District Sessions Judge Abdul Khader has awarded life sentence to three persons on the charge of murdering a teenage boy in August 2014.

According to prosecution, Veeranan of Anaikarai in Idukki district lodged a complaint with Vandanmedu police that his son Rajesh Kannan, 17, was missing. Preliminary inquiries revealed that he had told his parents that he would go to Kumili with some of his friends, but never returned home.

Discreet probe by police teams suggested that he was last seen in the company of his friend Joan in an auto rickshaw. When police zeroed in on Joan and two other friends, identified as V. Vineet and B. Santosh of Idukki district, they admitted to have been to a waterfall in the area.

Based on their confessions, it came to light that Rajesh Kannan told Joan to stop speaking to his sister. This had irked Joan, who along with his friends, allegedly pushed Rajesh Kannan to his death near the waterfall. The body, which was badly injured, was identified by the family members following which it was sent for post mortem.

The man missing case was subsequently altered to murder and the police registered a case under IPC Section 302.

When the case came up for hearing, the Judge directed the three to undergo life imprisonment and imposed ₹5,000 each as fine and if they failed to remit the fine, they would have to serve a year more in prison, said Additional Public Prosecutor Vellaichami.