Chennai cops make headway in Swathi murder case, suspect assailant was stalker

On Wednesday, the Chennai police took major steps towards solving the murder of the Infosys techie Swathi, 24, after taking over the case from the railway police. They ruled out the possibility of the killer being hired on contract and declared that he had been stalking Swathi since May. On Monday the Madras High Court handed the case to the Chennai police because of the alleged delay caused by the short-staffed railway wing. The 25-member team headed by Nungambakkam assistant commissioner of police questioned more than a hundred people and shortlisted about 20 as probable suspects. According to The Hindu report, a lot of mobile phones that were active in the area came under the scanner in the attempt to zero in on the culprit. The police is also investigating Swathi’s call details and text messages and short-listing ‘suspecting’ mobile phones that were active hours before the murder took place at the railway station. [caption id=“attachment_2864694” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. CNN-News 18[/caption] One of the officers was quoted as saying, “We know enmity, not gain, is the motive of the murder,” said an officer. “But we are yet to establish the motive. Once we know that, we will narrow down on the culprit.” Another officer was quoted as saying, “Going by the CCTV footage, the suspect enters the premises at 6.31 am and is seen walking out at 6.42 am. He spent just 11 minutes, which includes the time he took to walk to and from the crime scene to the surveillance camera location. Maybe, he spent barely two or three minutes waiting for the victim and attacking her…,” the officer said. Based on the report submitted by a Hyderabad-based forensic firm on the CCTV footage, the assailant is aged between 25-30. According to a report by The Indian Express, the investigators claimed that the assailant is lean and “semi-dark and brown-skinned”, over 5 feet. The police recorded the statements of friends and family who claimed that Swathi had complained of “a person following her all the way from the railway station.” Some of the fellow passengers also reported seeing a person, matching the man described in the CCTV analysis, regularly visiting the window of the ladies compartment of the train to see her. Swathi’s assailant stabbed her to death on the Nungambakkam railway station when she was waiting for the train in the wee hours of the morning. Before the man brandished the knife, the duo was spotted arguing. She was a resident of the Choolaimedu area, which is close to the station.