Class 12 students S Raji (16), Arya K Suresh (16) and Athira Nair (17) attended the same government higher secondary school in Konni of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, until they went missing. Now almost two months after their disappearance, all three of them are referred to as the mysterious Konni girls, with a haunting tale.
A wrong train, and unanswered questions
The case which has remained elusive for a prolonged period, has left relatives and people in the area with several unanswered questions, and the police with numerous half baked suicide theories. While authorities have been pointing in the direction of “family problems” triggering suicides, families allege that the police are beating around the bush with this, a s reported by the Indian Express .
Like every other day the three girls left on July 9 for school, and reportedly boarded the train of the route 12626-Delhi-Chengannur in Alappuzha district. But they soon realised that their tickets were for the train number 12625 running in the opposite direction. The cops maintain that the girls pawned a gold coin to buy the tickets.
Constantly on the move
They got down at Mavelikara station, where nearby tea vendors saw them unsuccessfully arguing with the station master to cancel tickets for a refund. From there they took a bus to Ernakulam, after calling Raji’s mother Sujatha who was already on the look out for her daughter. The call was made from a local trader’s phone and the girls took a train to Bangalore from Ernakulam.
The girls are found to have travelled to Bangalore twice and back, from July 9 to 13 until their bodies were found near the railway tracks close to Mankara station. S Raji and Athira Nair were dead while Arya was injured and succumbed to injuries later. All along the girls were apparently constantly on the move.
No signs of sexual violence
Tests found no sign of sexual abuse, and murder was ruled out too. The police concluded that they fell off the train, which is strange given how close Raji’s and Athira’s bodies were to the tracks, and Raji’s glasses were neatly folded and placed on her chappals arranged properly on the other side of the track. The SIM card used in Athira’s tablet PC was issued in their neighbour’s name, but the neighbour denies any knowledge of the same.
No breakthrough in case
Around 20 people including Facebook friends of the girls and a 20 year old boy who left the town the same day were questioned, but so far there has been no progress in investigations. The families on a hunger-strike say that they were not having financial problems or any “family problems” as the police suggest.
The police is still struggling to substantiate their theories, is facing heat from people as they chose not to release pictures of the girls immediately upon disappearance. While the reason for not following the necessary action is given as “protecting their future”, families say the girls might have been saved if swift action had been taken.
