In yet another gruesome crime, a young woman who had come to her college to write her examination was murdered in broad daylight on Friday, October 1 in Kerala's Kottayam district. The incident happened at the campus of St Thomas College Pala in Kottayam around 11.30 am, while others were present in the campus. The deceased has been identified as Nithinamol, a student of Food Technology at the college. Her classmate Abhishek Baiju who killed her by slitting her throat has been taken into custody by the police.
Jose, an eyewitness who works as a watchman in the college, told the media that he had seen the two of them arguing standing under a mango tree, and he tried to intervene. "That's when I saw that blood was spurting from her neck," Jose told news channels.
Abhishek used a paper cutter knife to slit Nithina's throat. Four office staff immediately rushed Nithina to a hospital nearby, but she succumbed to her injuries. "She was breathing faintly as we brought her in the vehicle. But when we reached here, the hospital said she had passed away," one of the staff members told the media.
Another eyewitness told the media that he worked in a building near the mango tree and he heard the cries of a woman and a man screaming. "When I came rushing, I saw a watchman and other students rushing to them. The woman was lying on the ground and a few people rushed her to a hospital around 400 metres away. The young man was sitting on the ground and got into the police patrol vehicle as soon as they reached."
Kottayam District Panchayat member Nirmala Jimmy told Asianet News that Abhishek had taken away Nithina's phone two days ago. “Nithina was all that her mother had. After Abhishek took away her phone, her mother asked Abhishek to give it back. He gave it back on campus today and it was while she called her mother to inform her that he attacked her,” Nirmala said.
"What we have understood now is that he was a classmate of the (deceased). He has been taken into custody," Kottayam Superintendent of Police Shilpa Dyavaiah told the media. The police are investigating further details like the motive of the crime and whether it was a planned one. Many students who spoke to the media said that Abhishek and Nithina were close friends.
Both Nithina and Abishek, third year students of Food Technology degree at the college, had come to the college for a supplementary exam and the crime occurred after Nithina came out of the exam hall. Some of the other students saw her fall to the ground. Abhishek reportedly was standing on Nithina's side then.
In July, Rakhil Raghuthaman, a man in his early 30s shot 24-year old Manasa Madhavan in Nellikuzhi in Kothamangalam of Ernakulam district. Manasa was doing house surgency at the Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences in Kothamangalam. Rakhil who killed himself had been stalking Manasa for days and planned the murder.