Sharon Raj murder: Kerala court convicts girlfriend, her uncle for kidnap, poisoning

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A court in Kerala on Friday convicted the prime accused, Greeshma, in the sensational murder case of her boyfriend, Sharon Raj, a native of Parassala in the district, in 2022.

The Neyyattinkara Additional District Sessions Court also found her uncle, Nirmalakumaran Nair, guilty of destruction of evidence. Greeshma’s mother, Sindhu, the second accused, was acquitted for lack of evidence.

Sessions Court Judge A M Basheer, who delivered the verdict, stated that the quantum of the sentence will be pronounced on Saturday.

Greeshma was found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including murder (Section 302), while her uncle was convicted under Section 201 of the IPC.

According to the prosecution, Raj was lured by the prime accused to her house at Ramavarmanchirai in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district on October 14, 2022, and poisoned with an ayurvedic tonic laced with paraquat, a herbicide.

Raj, 23, died eleven days later, on October 25, from multiple organ failure at a hospital after consuming the lethal concoction.

Greeshma, then 22, had plotted the murder when Raj refused to end their relationship after her marriage was arranged with an army man from Nagercoil.

She had previously attempted to poison Raj by mixing paracetamol tablets in fruit juice. Still, the attempt failed as he refused to drink it due to its bitter taste, Special Public Prosecutor V S Vineeth Kumar said.

The prosecution relied on circumstantial, digital, and scientific evidence to prove the crime, Kumar added.