Image for representation.
The Thiruvananthapuram City police on Thursday (November 5, 2026) arrested a friend of the second accused, identified as Aishwarya, in the Abhiram murder case.
Aishwarya, a friend of Umar Muqthar, the second accused, had earlier been taken into police custody for questioning but was let off. However, she was arrested again on the suspicion that she had knowledge of the murder.
Meanwhile, the phone of the third accused, Ananda, that was used to summon Abhiram, is yet to be found.
The police, who are questioning Aishwarya to understand the extent of her involvement in the murder, say Umar tried to throw them off the scent by deliberately leaving his phone behind at home when he went to meet Abhiram at Pangappara. Umar is a history-sheeter who was under preventive detention under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) before being released again in September.
Umar is believed to have told Aishwarya to call him and while she was on the call, he left the phone behind and went to Pangappara where the first accused, a 17-year-old juvenile, and him allegedly committed the murder. Umar intended to create an impression that he was not present at the scene of the crime, they say.
Instagram chats
Even though several chats are believed to have been missing from Abhiram’s Instagram account, the police have managed to recover some of the chats from Umar’s phone.
Photographs of Ananda that were shared among friends were also believed to have provoked the accused to attack Abhiram.
Abhiram M.D., a Plus Two student and resident of Sangeetha Nagar in Pangappara, was allegedly murdered on November 1, 2026 following a dispute reportedly linked to a romantic relationship.
The police suspect that the accused had initially planned a double murder – of Abhiram and a friend who was reportedly close to the girl who was the first accused’s former girlfriend.
Chennithala to visit
Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will visit the house of Abhiram at Sangeetha Nagar at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Earlier, Left Democratic Front leaders and MLAs G.R. Anil and K. Rajan had visited the house and contacted the Home Minister over phone. Abhiram’s mother, Dharmaja, had then spoken to Mr. Chennithala.
Alleging mystery behind the murder that Abhiram’s family says was premeditated, they urged the Home Minister to appoint a special investigation team and a special prosecutor for the case.
The Minister said an appropriate decision would be taken after examining the matter.
Published – November 05, 2026 05:25 pm IST
