Chennai City Police, investigating the June 24 murder of Infosys software engineer Swathi (24), commenced interrogating the accused, Ramkumar, since Wednesday night. Police have been given three-day custody of Ramkumar by the Metropolitan Magistrate, Egmore, Chennai late Wednesday evening.
Swathi was hacked to death by Ramkumar at Nungambakkam Railway Station in front of several people. After the gruesome act, he disappeared without leaving a trace as the onlookers dived for cover. Based on video grabs from CCTVs installed in shops and residences near the station and from house to house search carried out by the investigators, the Chennai City Police identified the culprit and he was held from his native village Meemakshipuram in Tirunelveli district after a week of the gruesome act.
Ramkumar was brought to Chennai and was remanded at Puzhal Central Prison. This week saw the two prime witnesses zeroing on him in identification parades held in the prison. Swathi’s father and the manager of the lodge where Ramkumar was staying before he committed the murder identified him easily in the parade, according to sources in the Chennai Police.
“We are collecting details like why he came to Chennai, when did he come to the city, how and when he got acquainted with Swathi, from where he procured the murder weapon etc,” said a source on the city police probing the case.
In another development, police had requested Mohammed Bilal, a software engineer friend of Swathi, to be present during the grilling. Bilal joined the investigating team on Thursday and was face to face with Ramkumar for nearly two hours. It is reported that Bilal identified Ramkumar as the one who followed Swathi.
The police is expected to take Ramkumar to the Nungambakkam police station for a “re-enactment” of the crime as he had to be produced before the court by Friday evening.