Two ex-Armymen killed woman, newborn twins in Kerala 19 years ago; old photo at wedding ends triple murder mystery

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently solved a 19-year-old triple murder mystery and arrested two people from Puducherry in connection with the case, police said on Saturday.

The two accused were identified as Dibil Kumar and Rajesh. They allegedly killed a 24-year-old woman and her 17-day-old twin daughters in Kollam district's Anchal on February 10, 2006.

According to reports, Dibil Kumar and Rajesh were former Armymen. Dibil was a native of Anchal, while Rajesh hailed from Kannur. Both of them served in the army and were later declared as deserters, reports claimed.

The two were produced before a court in Kochi on Saturday and were remanded in judicial custody, according to a prosecutor, the news agency PTI reported.

What's the case about?

In February 2006, the bodies of Ranjini, a 24-year-old mother, and her 17-day-old twin daughters were found at their rented home in Anchal, a small village in Kollam. Their throats were slit.

The dispute was reportedly over the paternity of the twin daughters.

Sources told PTI that Ranjini and Dibil Kumar were having an affair. She later got pregnant. After the twins were born on January 24, 2006, Dibil began distancing himself from her.

According to Mathrubhumi, Ranjini had reportedly demanded that Dibil Kumar accept responsibility as the father of the twins. When Kumar refused, tensions escalated, and Ranjini took legal steps.

Ranjini had filed a complaint with the Kerala State Women's Commission against Dibil Kumar regarding the paternity of the babies and sought protection. The Commission issued a directive to subject Dibil Kumar to a DNA test, Onmanorama reported.

However, before the test was conducted, Ranjini and her babies were found murdered in their rented house when her mother had gone to the panchayat office.

A probe revealed that Dibil Kumar had allegedly killed Ranjini with the help of his friend Rajesh. After the crime, the two men fled, seemingly disappearing without a trace. They were absconding for 18 years.

Both Kerala police and the CBI had identified the accused during earlier investigations. However, the duo managed to evade arrest until now. In 2008, the CBI took over the case following a plea from the victim's family.

It was revealed that after committing the murder, Dibil Kumar changed his name and identity. He gave himself a new name – Vishnu, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

Rajesh also changed his name to Praveen Kumar, concealed his real identity and got married in Puducherry, the CBI spokesperson said.

They managed to evade law enforcement authorities by changing their names, securing Aadhaar cards under their new identities, and avoiding any association with their past crimes. They had started new lives under false identities in Puducherry.

Breakthrough: How a photo helped solve triple murder mystery

After hitting several roadblocks, a breakthrough occurred in the case after 18 years. An anonymous tip reached the CBI's Chennai unit, bringing the long-elusive suspects back under investigation.

Meanwhile, an old photo taken at a wedding was said to be the crucial lead in the probe. According to Onmanorama, the investigation team had sourced a photo of Dibil Kumar taken at a wedding he had attended.

"The technical intelligence wing made use of image metadata employing reverse search, aided by AI tools and found matches on social media. This was used to trace the present address, and the information was handed over to the CBI," Manoj Abraham, ADGP (Law & Order), was quoted by Onmanorama as saying.

Accused arrested

Acting on intelligence and after a thorough verification, a team of CBI officers traced the two in Puducherry and nabbed them on Friday, the CBI statement said.

"The CBI investigation revealed that the above murders were committed by Dibil Kumar and his friend Rajesh. Both the accused were absconding from the stage of investigation in 2006," the statement said.

The CBI found out that Dibil Kumar had impersonated and changed his name to Vishnu while Rajesh assumed the identity of Praveen Kumar. 

The CBI had filed a chargesheet, and the court declared them as Proclaimed Offenders, the statement read.