Man gets lifer for teenager's murder

Kannur: The Kasaragod district court on Monday awarded life imprisonment, an additional jail term of 15 years and Rs 50,000 fine to Ummer Byari (40) for killing Fathimath Suhra (18) by slitting her throat while she was asleep in 2006. Judge G Gopakumar imposed the life term and a fine of Rs 30,000 for murder under IPC Section 302, 10 years' imprisonment and Rs 10,000 for breaking into Suhra's house under IPC Section 449 and five years' imprisonment and Rs 10,000 for threatening witnesses under IPC Section 506.
If he defaults on the payment, he will have to undergo an additional prison term of 11 months. “The prison term would run concurrently as per the verdict. The court also asked the legal services authority to approach the government to give compensation to the victim's family ,“ said special public prosecutor C N Ibrahim.
The investigation conducted by the then CI T P Ranjith found that Ummer, who was a resident of Mangaluru, used to work in a mosque near Suhra's house near Kumbla and her family used to give him food. Over a period of time, he got attached to the girl and wanted to marry her, a proposal she rejected. Ummer decided to take revenge and on December 28, 2006, he broke into her house and slashed her throat while she was asleep. He remained in the locality and even visited the girl's house to offer condolences.
However, residents ­ who had seen him at odd hours on the day of murder at her home, informed the police who apprehended him, after which he confessed his crime.
However, by the time the trial began, the accused, who was on bail, escaped. In 2014, the police arrested him from Nashik, where he had been hiding, disguised as a Swami.
It is a great achievement for the police and the prosecution, said Ranjith, who is a now a DSP in Kannur. “There was no witness and it was through circumstantial evidences, supported by scientific evidence, we solved the murder,“ he said.