A murder case has been registered in Kerala in connection with the death of a 22-year-old medical student in Uzbekistan last week, police said on Thursday.
The case was filed at Haripad police station on Wednesday after the student’s family filed a complaint, an officer said.
Kayamkulam Deputy Superintendent of Police, Penukumar T, told the agency that the FIR was registered following a complaint filed by the student’s parents to the district police chief. A post-mortem examination was also conducted at Alappuzha Medical College.
According to Pinokumar, although the alleged crime took place in Uzbekistan, Indian law allows the case to be registered in Kerala.
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“If the authorities in Uzbekistan prosecute the accused after the investigation, we will close the case here. If no legal action is taken there, we will pursue the case further,” he said.
The Kerala Police will seek updates on the investigation in Uzbekistan through the Indian embassy, the officer said.
“There are reports that the accused has been arrested there. We will move through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain details of the case and the action taken by the authorities in Uzbekistan,” Penukumar said.
Parents demand an investigation
He said that the victim’s parents demanded that the investigation be conducted in Kerala and the accused be extradited from Uzbekistan.
“We will have to verify the existence of any such condition after taking legal advice and consulting the Ministry of External Affairs,” he added.
The accused is the victim’s colleague from Malappuram, police said. He allegedly hit her on the head during a heated argument, which led to her death.
However, the victim’s family disputed that account, saying on Thursday that her body bore several serious injuries.
One of his relatives, who traveled to Uzbekistan to retrieve the body, told reporters that investigators there told him that the student had been tortured and brutally assaulted before her death.
He added: “She did not die because she was hit on the head with a laptop.”
A family member further claimed that investigators told him that several students saw the accused force the victim to change her religion.
“He brutally assaulted her a lot before killing her. Therefore, we are seeking an autopsy here and have filed a complaint here to ensure that he does not escape if the police in Uzbekistan allow him,” a family member alleged.
He also claimed that the accused’s parents are government employees and that his brother is a doctor.
According to a family member, the accused and the victim were staying in the same hostel.
(With inputs from PTI)
