"We will get you married off once you turn 18; just live happily": Nithya’s family recounts promise before her murder

IDUKKI: An 18-year-old woman from Bodinayakanur in Tamil Nadu, identified as Nithya, was murdered and her body set on fire near Pampila Dam in Idukki, with further details of the crime emerging. Police have arrested her boyfriend, Nishanth (19), a native of Vattappara, in connection with the murder.

According to Nithya’s relatives, she and Nishanth had been in a relationship for a long time, but their relationship had been strained by disputes. On an earlier occasion, Nithya had eloped with him. As she was then a minor, her family brought her back home. Her relatives claimed that the two had not maintained contact since then.

Nithya’s relatives alleged that they had approached the Theni police after she went missing four days earlier, providing information about the suspect, but no action had been taken. They also named three people — Maha, Santhosh and Nishanth — as those they believed were involved in the case.

“Nithya and Nishanth had been close for a long time, but she was underage then. She had gone away with him once before. We brought her back, telling her that we would get her married after she turned 18 and that she only needed to live happily,” her relatives said.

According to the police account, Nishanth allegedly called Nithya to Pooppara on the 11th of the month, saying he wanted to marry her. While the two were talking inside his autorickshaw, an argument broke out between them. Nishanth allegedly strangled Nithya to death during the altercation.

He also reportedly confessed to police that he struck her face with a stone to ensure she was dead. He then allegedly concealed her body inside the autorickshaw, drove to the area near Pampila Dam later that night, poured petrol over the body and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence.