Friend of second accused arrested from Keralam’s Thiruvananthapuram in Abhiram murder case

Image for representation.

The Thiruvananthapuram City Police on Thursday (November 5, 2026) arrested the friend of the second accused, identified as Aishwarya, in the Abhiram murder case.

Aishwarya, the friend of Umar Muqthar, the other accused, was earlier taken into police custody for questioning but was released. However, she was arrested again on suspicion of knowing about the murder.

Meanwhile, the phone of the third accused, Ananda, which was used to call Abhiram, is yet to be found.

The police, who are interrogating Aishwarya to understand the extent of her involvement in the murder, say that Umar tried to throw them off the scent by deliberately leaving his phone at home when he went to meet Abhiram in Pangappara. Umar is a history recorder who was remanded in 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 phone, he left the phone and went to Pangappara, where the first accused, a 17-year-old juvenile, and he allegedly committed the murder. Umar intended to give the impression that he was not at the scene, they say.

Instagram chats

While several chats on Abhiram’s Instagram account are believed to be missing, the police managed to recover some of the chats from Umar’s phone.

It was also believed that photographs of Ananda, which were shared among friends, provoked the accused to attack Abhiram.

Abhiram MD, a student of Plus Two and a resident of Sangeetha Nagar in Pangappara, was allegedly murdered on November 1, 2026, following a dispute allegedly related to a romantic relationship.

The police suspect that the accused initially planned a double murder—Abhiram and a friend who was allegedly close to a girl who was the ex-girlfriend of the first accused.

Chennithala to visit

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will visit Abhirama’s house in Sangeetha Nagar on Thursday at 7 pm.

Earlier, Left Democratic Front leaders and MLAs GR Anil and K. Rajan visited the house and contacted the Home Minister over phone. Abhiram’s mother, Dharmaja, then spoke to Mr. Chennithala.

As there is mystery behind the murder, which Abhiram’s family claims was premeditated, they have called on the Home Secretary to appoint a special investigation team and a special prosecutor in the case.

The minister said that an appropriate decision would be taken after investigating the matter.

Published – 05 Nov 2026 17:25 IST