The Chottanikkara police are set to invoke the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) against the accused in the alleged assault and attempt to rape a 19-year-old girl who died on Friday (January 31) after being on ventilator support since last Sunday (January 26).
Initially, the police had booked Anoop, 25, of Thalayolaparambu, for attempt to murder and rape. However, the murder charge will be replaced by the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The police will also move court on Monday (February 3) for the custody of the accused who remains remanded in judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the body of the victim was laid to rest after an autopsy at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kalamassery, on Saturday (February 1). According to the police, the autopsy report matched the findings of the police with regard to the injuries, including an attempt to strangulation that probably led to her brain death.
It has emerged that the accused had been near the victim’s house at some point on January 26 after he had allegedly abandoned her in a critical state on the morning of that day. He had allegedly roamed around in the neighbourhood and left under the impression that the victim had recovered. The police had arrested the accused from his house in Thalayolaparambu in the early hours of Wednesday (January 29).
She was reportedly found in a very critical condition at her home on the evening of January 26. Incidentally, the victim was a survivor in a case registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act a couple of years ago.
Published – February 01, 2025 08:55 pm IST