In spite of his attempt to commit suicide when he saw that he has fallen into the police net, Paramasivam Ramkumar (22), an engineering graduate from Meenakshipuram village in Tirunelveli has been arrested by Tamil Nadu Police late Friday night in connection with the gruesome murder of S Swathi (24) on June 24. Though Ramkumar slashed his neck with a sharp object when he saw the police team charging into his house at Meenakshipuram village, the presence of mind of the cops and their quick response ensured that the culprit got instant medical aid and he was out of danger.
TK Rajendran, Commissioner of Police, Chennai, who briefed the media on Saturday said the police could not confirm at this stage whether the murder was committed out of passion. The Commissioner also said that there were no accomplices in the execution of the murder.
The police rushed Ramkumar to Tirunelveli General Hospital after administering the first-aid. later on Saturday, the dean of the General Hospital told the media that it would take at least one week for discharging Ramkumar from the hospital. This means the police may have to wait for one week to interrogate the accused.
But from the words of the Chennai City Police Commissioner, one could infer that the police team which investigated the case has succeeded in establishing beyond doubt that Ramkumar himself was the killer. Tamil Nadu’s biggest manhunt in the recent past turned out to be a big success because of the integration of modern technology with human intelligence. The detailed description by the Police Commissioner about how the investigators zeroed in on the accused reads like the script of a suspense filled thriller.
While Rajendran said the motive behind the murder could not be ascertained at this juncture (because the accused is in hospital) and there were no accomplices who helped Ramkumar to execute the murder, the details collected by the Chennai Ciy Police led them to Meenakshipuram village by Friday.
Since the Government transferred the case to the Chennai City Police, the teams investigating the murder analysed thousands of mobile phone calls originated/received through the cell phone towers close to the Nungamabakkam Railway Station where the murder took place. The police had collected hundreds of CCTV images of the accused from various cameras installed at vantage points.
The video images led them to the lodge (mansion, as they are known in local parlance) from where they recovered the shirt worn by Ramkumar at the time of the murder. This matched with the video images grabbed from the CCTVs. The police team had also came across the copy of the identity card given by Ramkumar to the manager of the lodge from which they could establish his identity. Swathi’s house was near the lodge where Ramkumar was staying. He saw her for the first time here and started stalking since then.
While the security guard posted at the lodge identified Ramkumar from the pictures, the police also got details about his stalking nature. The investigators also identified the mobile phone number used by Ramkumar and established that he was at Nungambakkam Railway station when the murder took place on June 24 at 6.45 am. The police were also helped by the parents of Swathi who furnished them with whatever details they had under their possession.
It is reported that many people in the area surrounding the lodge where Ramkumar was staying identified him as the stalker who was following Swathi for some time. Details like whether Swathi was having telephonic conversations or any other communications with the accused are yet to be established.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa congratulated the Chennai Police for solving the murder which shocked the State. But BJP national secretary H Raja said he may be able to make any comment only after the police completes the full investigation. “let them establish the full identity of the accused. Since he hails from Meenakshipuram, one has to be careful before making any conclusions,” said Raja. Meemnakshipuram courted controversy early 1980 when it was found that the entire village got converted to Islam following alleged discrimination by caste Hindus.