- Friday, January 10, 2025
The gruesome crime took place on February 10, 2006 in Kollam district’s Anchal town, but the case turned cold as the two suspects remained elusive and they acquired new identities
By: shajil kumar
KERALA Police solved a 2006 murder case utilising artificial intelligence to nab two men alleged to have killed a woman and her twin children.
The gruesome crime took place on February 10, 2006 in Kollam district’s Anchal town. But the case turned cold as the two suspects, Divil Kumar and Rajesh, remained elusive and they had acquired new identities.
The three victims, Ranjini and her 17-day-old twins were killed by slitting their throats.
The crime came to light when Ranjani’s mother Santamma came home after going to Panchayat office.
The police launched an investigation and moved to apprehend Divil Kumar and Rajesh, who were then working in the army and stationed at the Pathankot military base.
But they could not nab the duo as they had already fled.
Police said that Ranjini and Divil were in a relationship, but he distanced himself from her when she became pregnant.
After Ranjini gave birth to twin daughters in January 2006, she approached the State Women’s Commission to compel Divil to undergo a paternity test.
Rajesh, posing as ‘Anil Kumar’, befriended Ranjini and offered support. She did not know that he and Divil Kumar were colleagues.
Rajesh persuaded Ranjini’s mother to visit the local panchayat office for some work and committed the murders.
The police zeroed in on Rajesh after they found a registration number of a two-wheeler at the crime scene.
However, when they reached the military camp in Pathankot, the accused had already fled.
In 2023, the Technical Intelligence Wing of the Kerala Police began using artificial intelligence to re-examine cold cases.
To locate Ranjini’s killers, they enhanced their old photographs to get an estimation of how they might look after 19 years.
These images were then compared against photographs on social media. After sifting through numerous images, a wedding photo provided a breakthrough.
The photo appeared similar to Rajesh, who was based in Puducherry. With his help, the police traced Divil.
The two men were arrested by the CBI in Puducherry on January 4.
They had acquired new identities and were working as interior designers, Vishnu and Praveen Kumar.
