SIT gets custody of youth accused of abetting woman’s suicide

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death of a 23-year-old woman at Kothamangalam has taken into custody Rameez, 24, the prime accused who was arrested and remanded on charges of abetting her suicide. The police team on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) took Rameez to various locations, including places where he met the victim when they were allegedly in a relationship, for evidence collection.

This comes a day after his parents and a friend, arraigned as co-accused, were arrested from Salem in Tamil Nadu.

An officer involved in the investigation said that the SIT will decide if custody of other accused need to be sought based on further interrogation of Rameez and his statements.

Rameez’s parents Rahimon Yousuf and Shareena, and his friend Abdul Sahad were arrested from a lodge near Salem in Tamil Nadu on Monday (August 18) morning. They have been charged with Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The case of unnatural death was registered after the woman was found dead in her house at Kothamangalam on August 9. The case took a political turn after an alleged suicide note written by the victim mentioned that Rameez through his family forced her for religious conversion as a precondition for marrying her.

The SIT, headed by Muvattupuzha DySP, was formed after the family of the victim petitioned the Chief Minister and the State Police Chief demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident.

In her petition, the victim’s mother alleged that her daughter was locked up by the accused and family in their house and was physically assaulted, as reportedly mentioned in her suicide note.

Rameez was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 69 (sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means etc), 108 (abetment to suicide), and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt).

(Suicide Prevention Helpline: DISHA - 1056, Maithri - 0484-2540530).