Kerala Teen Plots Grandfather's Murder, Watches Him Suffocate On Video Call

A 13-year-old girl plotted the murder of her grandfather, guided killers - all teenagers - to his house and then watched on a video call as the 67-year-old was beaten, tied up and suffocated in Kerala. The chilling murder took place on the night of August 15 when the victim was alone at home. 

A day before, the victim's younger daughter was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Alappuzha for childbirth, and his wife had gone to be with her, officials said.

According to the police, the girl's 17-year-old friend and three other teenagers entered the man's house through the bathroom ventilator as the accused was on a video call with them, guiding their way. What followed was brutal.

The killers tied the elderly man's hands and legs and stuffed a cloth in his mouth. They then assaulted him by hitting his head against a wall and eventually suffocating him to death with a cloth. Officials said the victim's granddaughter watched the murder live on a video call.

The post-mortem examination confirmed suffocation as the cause of death and found injuries across his body.

Investigation revealed that the killers had taken around 4.5 sovereigns of gold - which have now been recovered.

What happened after the murder has also become a key part of the investigation.

Neighbours said there was no visible change in the girl's behaviour. On August 16, she returned to the neighbourhood and went twice to a nearby shop with younger children to buy packets of chips. The next morning, she told people that her grandfather was not opening the door. A local shopkeeper said the girl told him she thought her grandfather had been drinking and was asleep.

When the house was finally opened, the 67-year-old was found dead. 

Even then, the shopkeeper said, the girl changed into her school uniform and prepared to leave, saying she had an examination she could not miss.

Investigators say money was one of the motives behind the crime. The girl allegedly wanted a mobile phone, while her friend wanted money for a bike. Sources also suspect usage of drugs by the teenagers.

Police are also examining the girl's statement that she held a grudge against her grandfather over his alleged inappropriate behaviour towards her.

For the rest of the family, a cruel fate unfolded during what was to be a joyous occasion. As the man's body lay in the medical college mortuary for post-mortem examination, his younger daughter gave birth to a baby girl in the same hospital. His wife, who had been beside her daughter during the delivery, later walked from the maternity ward to the mortuary to see her husband for the last time. 

The case has now moved into complicated legal territory because those accused of carrying out the murder are juveniles.

Police said they will seek to have the accused who fall in the 16 to 18 age group considered for trial as adults. Under the Juvenile Justice Act, the Juvenile Justice Board must conduct a preliminary assessment before such a case can be transferred for trial as an adult.

The accused have been sent to an observation home, officials said.