Rape- murder

The police probing the rape-murder of a Dalit woman at Perumbavoor have started collecting fingerprints of adult men residing in the victim’s neighbourhood.

According to officials, the biometric information is being collected for a massive analysis to trace the perpetrator. The move takes a cue from the assumption that the perpetrator could be a person known to the family who had easy access to the house.

A squad of the special investigation team (SIT) on Tuesday started collecting fingerprints of about 2,000 men between the age group of 18 and 70 in the locality.

Earlier, the forensic team had collected two sets of fingerprints, suspected to be of the accused, from the crime scene.

On Monday, the SIT obtained a favourable order from a local court to seek the help of the United Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to analyse the fingerprints. The police decided to approach the UIDAI after the two sets of fingerprints did not match with that of the suspects in police custody.

The ongoing investigation focusses mainly on migrant labourers, friends, and relatives of the victim. As part of the probe, the police have carried out raids in over 30 migrant labour camps in the region and collected information on those leaving the place after April 28.

The sleuths have also prepared a list of those convicted earlier for committing similar offences and attempts are on to track their whereabouts.