Ernakulam, Dec 10 The mysterious death of 19-year-old aviation student Chithrapriya, who went missing from Mundangamattam near Malayattoor, has now been confirmed as a brutal murder, with her boyfriend Alan confessing to the crime, police said.
The accused has been taken into custody by the Kalady Police after he admitted to killing the girl by striking her on the head with a stone while under the influence of alcohol.
According to the police, the murder followed a heated argument triggered by suspicion, which escalated fatally due to the accused being in an intoxicated state.
During sustained interrogation, Alan confessed that the crime was committed in the early hours of Sunday during a drunken dispute.
Investigators said the confession came after crucial CCTV footage showed Chithrapriya travelling on a bike with Alan around 1.53 a.m., with another biker seen following them.
Chithrapriya, a first-year aviation degree student in Bengaluru, had returned home on vacation.
She was reported missing on Saturday night after leaving home, saying she was going to a nearby shop.
When she failed to return, her family filed a complaint early Sunday morning.
Four days later, on Tuesday afternoon around 2.30 p.m., her partially decomposed body was found in a deserted plot near Kurappilly slope, barely one kilometre from her residence.
The body was located after locals and co-workers of her mother, who works in a catering unit, noticed a strong foul smell emanating from an abandoned rubber plantation near Sebiur Road, close to Malayattoor Manappattu Chira.
Police recovered a blood-stained stone near the body, strengthening the murder theory.
A deep wound was found on the back of her head, consistent with blunt-force trauma.
A dog squad, fingerprint experts and senior police officials were deployed at the scene for forensic examination. Initially, Alan had told police that he dropped Chithrapriya off on his bike and was released after questioning.
However, after the body was discovered, he was retaken into custody and subjected to sustained interrogation, during which he broke down and confessed to the crime.
Police said a comprehensive investigation is underway to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine whether any other individuals were involved.
The post-mortem examination has been completed, and the final report is awaited to confirm the cause of death.
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