A day after the body of Kerala youth Kevin P Joseph was fished out of a canal in Kottayam, police have arrested the brother and father of Kevin’s wife Neenu Chacko. Kevin (23) was allegedly abducted on Saturday by the family members of Neenu (20) whom he had married two days ago.
Kottayam Superintendent of Police Harishankar said Neenu’s brother Shanu Chacko and father Chacko and three others, accused in the abduction and murder of Kevin, are in custody now.
According to police and relatives of the victim, Kevin and Neenu were in love with each other over the last two years in Kottayam where he completed his ITI diploma and she studied in a local college. Kevin’s relatives say they were “aware” of this relationship.
Police said Kevin was an electrician from a poor Dalit Christian family in Kottayam. After completing his diploma in electrical engineering, he worked in Dubai briefly before returning last January. Neenu is from an influential Christian family at Thenmala in Kollam, her mother is a Muslim.
Read | Kerala: Groom murdered, cop told father I’m busy with CM Pinarayi Vijayan
The girl’s parents filed a case against Kevin after the two got married. According to the boy’s uncle, the police also tried to forcefully send Neenu back to her parents.
On Sunday, when Kevin went missing, his father was at the police station pleading with the sub-inspector to help trace his son. Police, however, told him they were busy with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s visit to the district.
Kevin’s body was found in a canal 100 km away from his home on Monday. According to the police, Kevin had been killed by a gang led by the girl’s brother.
Following the murder, Kottayam SP P A Mohammed Rafeeque has been transferred. Apart from setting up the special teams, officials said, the government has ordered that the case would be probed by a DySP-rank officer, who will also investigate the complaint that the S-I “had accepted a bribe from the girl’s relatives”.
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Kerala groom murder case: Girl's father, brother arrested – The Indian Express
