Did the house help lead the CB-CID to Dilshan's killer?

Chennai, Jul 11: After Chennai woke up to the brutal shoot out on a 13-year-old boy Dilshan for trespassing into high-security army premises, there were outrages among locals, family members and for that matter everyone across the country. The fact that the crime was perpetrated from someone in the Army, who is known to be the guarding force and protector of civilians, came as a double blow for many.

With the CB-CID getting into the probe and grappling with no leads on the case, an expose by the Hindu newspaper has revealed that it was a casual revelation by the house maid that led to the investigating agency nailing the culprit, former arms inspector Lt. Col (Retired) Kandasamy Ramaraj.

With the investigation hitting a dead-end with no vital clues or eyewitness who could throw light on the case, it was a statement from the house help that said Ramaraj and family had not eaten properly since the day of Dilshan's death that eventually diverted the sleuths attention towards the right path. This led to the CB-CID focusing on the retired Army official with sources within the police claiming that he “lied and tried to mislead the police at every stage of the investigation."

The lies were busted when Ramaraj in the course of questioning said that he was out to drop his daughter-in-law at the railway station at the time of the shot-out and that she had travelled in an unreserved compartment to Madurai. The CB-CID officials divulged, “the woman actually traveled in a reserved coach. The fact that the family was visibly disturbed and the suspect was repeatedly lying made our suspicion stronger."

On the circumstances that led to Ramaraj opening fire at the hapless boy, investigators revealed that the retired army man was miffed with the boys from the slum for throwing stones at the fruit trees that inadvertently landed on his car. The officials commented, “When his wife was confronted with some evidence, she broke down. Lt. Col. Ramaraj was angry that stones thrown on trees often fell on his car. Maybe, he did this in a fit of rage."

A diligent and capable officer who was also a specialist in small arms, Ramaraj also tried to baffle the investigating officials by misstating the trajectory of the bullet. He also planned to return to his hometown Madurai after his retirement on Apr 30th 2011.

An Army official commented, “He was planning to settle down in Madurai. As an officer, he never came under the Army's adverse notice while in service. The 0.30 calibre Springfield Rifle is a powerful gun normally used for precision firing. Lt. Col. Ramaraj's application for renewal of gun licence was another clue to investigators."

OneIndia News