KOCHI: A 26-year-old man named Safar, who had stalked, harassed, threatened and had even morphed a class 12 student photographs, had kidnapped her and murdered the girl.

According to police, the incident took place on Tuesday night and they immediately nabbed the culprit with the help of Tamil Nadu police. The police told that the 17-year-old Sree (name changed), a class 12 student and a native of Kaloor in Kochi, has not returned from school. Her father, who went to pick her up from school, realized that she was missing and soon filed a complaint at the Central Police Station in Ernakulam.

However, hours later, the same night, the family was informed that the girl’s body was found at a forest region in Valparai, Tamil Nadu. Incidentally, even as the father was filing a missing person’s complaint, Safar was driving away from Kochi with the girl in a car that he had stolen from a car service outlet he was working in.

This incident comes close on the heels of two such incidents back to back: On Monday, a 19-year-old woman, Ashika, was killed by her stalker in Thiruvananthapuram. On Tuesday, as well, a 19-year-old student in Kochi stabbed a 17-year-old girl for allegedly denying his advances.

INVESTIGATION: The Central police station soon began the investigation. During the investigation, it was found that the car had crossed Athirapally in Thrissur and there were a man and a woman in it. Within a few hours, the Tamil Nadu police stopped the car at the Valparai check post and they saw that only Safar was inside the car. When they questioned the man, he broke down and confessed that he had murdered a young woman and dumped her body in a tea plantation nearby.

The TN police then informed Kochi police. A team of TN police went into the plantation near the Valparai check post and discovered the body of the girl. She was still in her school uniform. The police said that a team of officers from Kochi has reached Valparai for further proceedings in the case.

According to Sree’s father, Safar used to stalk and threaten her, because of which, the father used to accompany her to school. “He came to tell me that he wanted to marry her and we said no. She had told me that this man was harassing her and even raised death threats. She was very upset when he morphed her photos. She was scared he would kill her. I used to drop her and pick her up from school every day because of him. On Tuesday, I dropped her at school. But when I went to pick her up, I could not find her,” he trailed off, crying. He then picked up his voice and added, “She was very brave.”

The Sub-Inspector of Valparai police station told media, "We had received information that this specific numbered car was coming through the area. The car was spotted at the check post by around 8.45 pm. We only saw one man in it, although the other front seat was folded. We also spotted bloodstains while examining the car. On questioning, the man said he was from Ernakulam and that he came here with his girlfriend. But he also told us that he killed and disposed of her body on the way.”

As per Valparai police, Safar claimed that they were in a relationship and he killed her as she was planning to go abroad for studies. “He said that he had been harbouring vengeance for long. Around 2 pm on Tuesday, he stole the car from the showroom he was working at. He had taken a knife with him,” the police official told media.

The teenager, a young bright girl who had won a scholarship, had decided to brave it out in the face of threats and not discontinue going to school. But, her life cut short due to a man who refused to understand that no means no. (Source: TNM)

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