Key Highlights Kerala police nab Ameerul Islam, 23, from Assam.

The migrant labourer raped a 30-year-old Dalit law student.

She was found dead at her home in Perumbavoor on April 28.

KOCHI: On Thursday, 49 days after the crime occurred, Kerala police announced that they have nabbed Ameerul Islam, 23, a migrant labourer from Assam, for raping a 30-year-old Dalit law student. She was found dead at her home in Perumbavoor on April 28 with her body bearing 38 injuries, which recalled the gruesome Nirbhaya rape in Delhi.

The twice-reconstituted special investigation team (SIT) questioned more than 1,500 suspects, fingerprinted 5,000 men from a single taluk and sifted through call records of about 20 lakh mobile phone numbers. The SIT picked up Islam from Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu at least a couple of days ago but registered his arrest only on Thursday after interrogating him at a secret location in Thrissur. Islam, a migrant labourer from Assam’s Nagaon district, confessed to the crime and claimed that personal enmity was the sole reason behind the brutal murder. The accused was working at a construction site near the house of the victim.

However, Islam’s arrest leaves many questions unanswered — as much in relation to the real motive as for the delay in identifying him as one of the main suspects despite the police so early on zeroing in on migrant labourers who left Perumbavoor suddenly on the day after the crime.

According to the police version, on the day of the crime, Islam passed through Canal Bund Road and saw the victim standing in front of her house. They had an argument over a previous dispute, and Islam left. He returned in the evening after drinking heavily. According to police, Islam strangulated and smothered the victim. He hit her on the head with an iron rod and tried to rape her when she fell unconscious.

“Islam boarded a train to Assam and abandoned his SIM card. After spending a few days in Assam, he came to Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu and arranged a job with a courier agency. The cyber cell traced the location of the mobile phone when Islam used a new SIM card to call a friend”, police said. ADGP B Sandhya, who heads the SIT, said the accused will be produced before a court on Friday.

The accused is said to have confessed to police that he didn’t have a penile erection and thus damaged the victim’s private parts with a knife.

