Kochi: A day after securing convictions in the 2019 Periya twin murder case, the CBI Chennai unit has solved a 19-year-old triple murder case, bringing a breakthrough in a long-pending investigation.
On Saturday, the CBI arrested Dibil Kumar and Rajesh, accused in the 2006 murder of 24-year-old Ranjini and her 17-day-old twin daughters. Acting on a tip-off, the duo was apprehended from Puducherry, where they had been residing with their families.
The case dates back to January 24, 2006, when Ranjini, an unmarried woman from Anchal in Kollam district, gave birth to twin girls at a government hospital in Kerala’s capital city Thiruvananthapuram. Kumar, also from Anchal, was known to Ranjini and had been in a relationship with her. However, after learning of her pregnancy, Kumar reportedly distanced himself from her.
Ranjini sought help from the Kerala State Women’s Commission, which ordered a DNA test after the babies were born. Shortly after, Rajesh, a mutual acquaintance, visited the hospital and offered to help. He took Ranjini and her infants to a rented house in Kollam.
Tragically, on February 8, 2006, Ranjini and her daughters were found dead in the rented home. The local police launched an investigation, which was later handed over to the Crime Branch. Following persistent requests from Ranjini’s mother, the case was eventually transferred to the CBI.
Years later, the CBI Chennai unit reopened the case while reviewing pending files. Acting on secret information, investigators tracked Kumar and Rajesh to Puducherry, where they were running an interior decoration business. The duo had reportedly been evading the law since the murders, leaving their jobs in the Army.
The CBI placed the suspects under surveillance and took them into custody on Friday. On Saturday, they were brought to Kochi.
According to CBI sources, the accused will be taken to Kollam for evidence collection and further investigation.
(IANS)
