Accused found guilty in Ambalamukku Vineetha murder case

The Thiruvananthapuram Additional District and Sessions Court VII on Thursday found Kanyakumari native Rajendran, 40, guilty in the murder of Vineetha, 38, an employee of a plant nursery in Ambalamukku, in February 2022.

Judge Prasun Mohan convicted Rajendran under Sections 447 (criminal trespass), 302 (murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity causing death or grievous hurt) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. The court will pronounce the sentence on April 21.

The prosecution, led by Special Public Prosecutor M. Salahudeen, argued that the case qualifies as “rarest of rare,” prompting the court to seek detailed reports on the accused before deciding the sentence. These include a sealed report by the Thiruvananthapuram District Collector on the likelihood of the accused reforming and his continued threat to society, as per the guidelines established by the Supreme Court in the landmark 1980 case of Bachan Singh vs. State of Punjab.

Other reports

The other reports include the psychiatric and psychological evaluations by mental health experts from the Peroorkada Mental Health Centre; social assessment reports from the district probation officers of Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari; behaviour reports from the Superintendent of the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail and other prisons where Rajendran had been detained; criminal history report by the District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City); and details of the convict’s movable and immovable assets in Kanyakumari that will have to be submitted by the prosecution. The reports must be submitted within seven days in sealed covers. The court will consider these before hearing the convict’s arguments.

According to the prosecution, Rajendran murdered Vineetha on February 6, 2022 to steal her 4.5 sovereign gold chain. The accused, who had been working at a nearby hotel for over a month, entered the nursery posing as a customer.

After conversing with Vineetha, he entered the shed under the pretence of choosing a plant pot. He then forcefully covered her mouth and nose, took a knife hidden in his pants and stabbed her in the neck multiple times. He went on to rob her gold chain, hid the body under a flex sheet in the shed before fleeing the scene. He was arrested five days later by a team led by Peroorkada Circle Inspector V. Sajikumar from Kavalkinar in Tamil Nadu.

No eyewitness

Despite no eyewitnesses, the police presented strong circumstantial and forensic evidence, including CCTV footage, DNA analysis and digital data. The murder weapon, bloodied shirt and the gold chain were recovered. The prosecution submitted over 222 documents and examined 96 witnesses.

Rajendran is also the prime accused in a separate triple murder case in Tamil Nadu and was out on bail at the time of Vineetha’s murder. He allegedly killed Subbiah, a customs officer, his wife, Vasanthi, and their daughter, Abhishri, and stole 95 grams of gold. The trial in the particular case is ongoing in Nagercoil Sessions Court. He purportedly committed the murders to fund his investments in online stock trading.