Fearing that a paternity test would prove that he was the father of a 24-year-old woman’s twin daughters, who were just 17 days old, an Armyman allegedly killed her and the infants with the help of a fellow soldier. The two men then went into hiding – deserting the Army, marrying and having children – and managed to evade the law for a staggering 19 years; until a tip-off proved to be their undoing.
The case dates back to February 10, 2006, when 24-year-old Ranjini and her newborn daughters were murdered in their rented house at Yeram near Anchal in Kerala’s Kollam district. Ranjini’s mother had discovered the bodies upon returning from the panchayat office, where she had gone to get the twins’ birth certificates.
Investigation revealed that Dibil Kumar B, a native of Anchal who was 28 at the time and served in the Indian Army’s 45 AD Regiment in Pathankot, was in a relationship with Ranjini. After the twins were born on January 24, 2006, however, he began distancing himself from her.
The unwed mother then approached the Kerala State Women’s Commission, which ordered a test to establish the paternity of the twins. This infuriated Kumar, who allegedly began plotting her murder.
CBI officials said that Rajesh P, who was 33 at the time and also served with Kumar in the same Army regiment, befriended Ranjini and her mother. He assured them that he would help convince Kumar to marry Ranjini, but allegedly joined in the plot to kill her and her daughters instead.
Manhunt
Kumar and Rajesh went on the run soon after the crime and were declared deserters by the Army in March 2006.
Despite extensive investigations by local police and a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information that would lead to their capture, there was no sign of the two men.
The case was handed over to the CBI in 2010 on the orders of the Kerala High Court, but a breakthrough eluded the agency as well.
Whole New Lives
After years of pursuit, the CBI received a tip-off that Kumar and Rajesh were living in Puducherry under fake names and had managed to get new documents made, including Aadhaar cards. They had reportedly married two teachers in the city and had also fathered children.
After carrying out surveillance, the CBI’s Chennai unit arrested the two men on Friday and brought them to Kochi, where they were produced before the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Saturday.
They have been remanded in police custody until January 18. Officials said the CBI will also seek their custody.