How cracking a murder case unmasked a serial killer

During another wave of lockdown in February 2022, for the people of Thiruvananthapuram, as equally nerve-wracking as the news of a rampaging new Covid variant was the brutal murder of a young woman near Ambalamukku.

Nedumangad native Vineetha Mol, a staff at a plant nursery here, was found dead with three deep slashes on her neck. The 38-year-old’s body was tucked under a flex banner, seemingly to keep it hidden. By the time it was found, the murderer had already vanished.

With little evidence to go on, the Peroorkada police, led by then CI V Sajikumar, relied on a grainy CCTV clip from the area. The footage showed a man, who had not been seen before in the area, walking along the Ambalamukku-Kuravankonam road. He wore a full-sleeved shirt, trousers, a cap, and because it was Covid, a mask. One other detail stood out — his left hand hung limp as if injured.