Malappuram (Kerala) | The police on Saturday confirmed that a 16-year-old girl, whose body was recovered from Thodiyapalam near a railway track in this district, was raped and murdered.

Malappuram District Police Chief Viswanadh R told a press conference that the teenager, who had gone missing from the Karuvarakundu area on Thursday, was sexually assaulted and killed.

The body of the victim was found on Friday.

He said the victim's boyfriend, who was apprehended in the case and is a child in conflict with the law, was produced before a court dealing with matters of the Juvenile Justice Board and shifted to a juvenile home on Saturday.

The district police chief said the preliminary probe indicated that the murder was committed following issues related to the relationship.

“We have to dig deep into the motive. As he is a child in conflict with the law, there are certain limitations, but a detailed probe into the motive will be conducted,” he said.

Viswanadh said the child in conflict with the law had mentioned another alleged relationship of the victim, which would be corroborated during the investigation.

He said evidence recovered so far indicated that the girl was raped and murdered at the same isolated forested area near the railway track where her body was found.

According to the preliminary probe, the victim and the boy reached the crime scene after travelling by bus, around 3 pm or 4 pm on Thursday.

Based on the inquest assessment, police said the girl was strangled to death and both her hands were tied, Viswanadh said.

He said no involvement of any other person had been detected so far, but that angle was also being thoroughly examined.

“Our entire team is checking CCTV footage along the route taken by the two from Karuvarakundu to Wandoor. The child's mobile phone is being examined, and call data records are being analysed. So far, the involvement of a third person has not been found,” he said.

Viswanadh said both the victim and the boy were studying in the same school, and their families were aware of the relationship.

He said people near Thodiyapalam railway station had claimed to have seen the two earlier in the area, but this would be corroborated after examining call data records.

He said the victim had contacted her mother on Thursday evening, and that the call was made from the child in conflict with the law's mobile phone.

He also said that after the murder, the boy had approached a nearby house seeking drinking water.

The school bag of the victim was recovered from the crime scene, police said.

Viswanadh said that under the Juvenile Justice Act, FIRs are not registered in cases involving children in conflict with the law where offences attract a punishment of less than seven years.

However, since this is a grave offence, an FIR has been registered.

After the investigation report is filed, the Juvenile Justice Board will assess whether the trial should be conducted, treating the child in conflict with the law as an adult or a minor.

“Only after the board's assessment will it be decided how the trial will proceed,” he said.

He said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed, and the probe would be led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Perinthalmanna.

The report in the case is expected to be filed before the board within two months.

The body of the deceased was handed over to relatives after the postmortem.