13-year-old granddaughter changed statements three times; Police mulling new move

ALAPPUZHA: Police will intensify probe into the Karuvatta murder case. The first accused, a 13-year-old girl, who changed her statement three times, will be questioned in detail. The investigation team decided to go to the Kozhikode Observation Centre and record a detailed statement in the presence of a psychologist and an expert medical team appointed by the Juvenile Justice Board. Sivankutty Chettiar (65), who was staying on rent in Karuvatta, was murdered by the 13-year-old girl’s boyfriend and two of his friends. It is said that the 13-year-old granddaughter gave her boyfriend and gang a quotation.

The police found that Sivankutty was murdered so the 13-year-old girl could steal the gold and buy her own iPhone and a bike for her boyfriend, who is a native of Kollam Paravur and the second accused. However, the 13-year-old first told police that she was fed up with Sivankutty’s ill-intentioned behaviour towards her. However, she later changed this, saying that the enmity rose a day before the murder when Sivankutty resisted her attempt to open a cupboard with a screwdriver.

Wavering again, the girl had another plot ready to twist the police, as she said that the whole plan belonged to her boyfriend, who forced her to share the house location and wanted to get rid of her grandfather. The interrogation will be conducted after the other accused are questioned.

The Juvenile Justice Board will consider the application filed by the police seeking custody on Monday. The application, which was to be considered on Saturday, was postponed to Monday due to a public holiday in the district in view of the Nehru Trophy boat race.

The boyfriend and second accused, a Plus Two student from Paravur, and two 17-year-old friends have been asked to be taken into custody for five days for detailed questioning and evidence collection. The board is also considering a police report stating that the accused do not deserve to be considered minors since the planning of the robbery and murder was done in a manner that could rival that of hardened criminals.