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CHENNAI: The city police have recovered the severed head of the man whose body was found stuffed in an abandoned suitcase in Perambur railway station on June 5.
A medical waste disposal bag led investigators to crack the murder case. Red and yellow plastic covers found with the body were traced to a hospital in Taramani, according to the police. A special team verified details of staff handling such covers and other workers at the hospital and zeroed in on the suspects.
The police then scrutinised footage from over 100 CCTV cameras in the vicinity and identified a suspect auto-rickshaw. They also checked booking data from Rapido, OLA, and Uber heading to Perambur station.
A suspicious auto booking led investigators to track the vehicle’s movement and confirm the suspects’ residence and, eventually, the accused. Raheema Khatoon (30) and her friend, Ashraf Ali (36), both from Assam, were arrested.
Based on their confessions, the deceased was identified as Amir Ali of Assam. Amir Ali was Raheema’s second husband. Raheema told police she worked as a broker arranging rooms, travel, and accommodation for outstation cancer patients.
She claimed Amir Ali was not in a proper marital relationship with her, maintained affairs with other women, and frequently assaulted her. She informed Ashraf Ali, and the two plotted the murder.
On June 2, they allegedly mixed seven sleeping pills in milk and gave it to Amir Ali. After he lost consciousness, they slit his throat and decapitated him.
On the morning of June 5, they placed the headless body in a suitcase and left it at Perambur Railway Station. The head was dumped near Kolavai Lake by Chengalpattu railway station on June 6, while other body parts were disposed of in a drain near their Teynampet residence, police probe revealed.
The police recovered the severed limbs from the Buckingham Canal near the accused’s house in Teynampet. The head, wrapped in plastic, was retrieved from Kolavai Lake in the presence of revenue officials on Monday.