“Will Surely Visit Kerala Again”: Sister Of Latvian Rape-Murder Victim
The victim’s sister told NDTV that she was finally relieved and at peace on the day when two men convicted of the 2018 rape-murder of a Latvian woman in Kerala were given life sentences.On being asked if she would visit India anytime soon, she said: “I will definitely visit Kerala again. I have made so many friends. I never managed to go to Munnar. So I want to visit Munnar and meet my friends, when I visit Kerala again.”
She added: “The investigation team was great. They always kept me informed. I left Kerala only after I was convinced that the right people have been arrested. The evidence is undeniable and I am really happy with the way the investigations were conducted.”
The two defendants, Umesh and Udayan, were previously found guilty by the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court of violating several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including raping and killing the 33-year-old Latvian tourist who vanished from Kovalam on March 14, 2018, for unknown reasons.
On April 21, 2018, the woman’s headless and decomposing body was found in a mangrove jungle near Thiruvallam, and on May 3, 2018, Umesh and Udayan were detained. Based on circumstantial evidence, the accused was found guilty.The sister of the Latvian woman recalled her lengthy stay in Kerala following the horrific incident and claimed that despite all the sorrow, the woman had made a lot of friends.”So many people extended their help to me, out of genuine concern. I was interacting with the politicians, the police. They helped me in every way,” she said.
“I remember once while we were looking for my sister and putting up her posters, we were so thirsty. There was a nun who offered us refreshing lemonade. She was so compassionate. She prayed for us. There were many such instances,” she recounted.
She added: “I am relieved with the judgement. It’s like starting a new chapter in my life.”The accused persons, Umesh and Udayan, were history-sheeters who had erased a lot of the evidence, according to the police. According to authorities, the highly difficult case had to be meticulously constructed on circumstantial evidence.
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